Hydrodynamic interactions between biofilms and flow

Farzan Kazemifar, Gianluca Blois, Marcelo Aybar, Patricia Perez Calleja, Robert Nerenberg, Sumit Sinha, Richard J. Hardy, James L. Best, Gregory H. Sambrook Smith, Kenneth T. Christensen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Biofilms constitute an important form of bacterial life in aquatic environments and are present at the interface of fluids and solids, such as riverbeds or bridge columns. They are also utilized in bioreactors for bioremediation and water treatment purposes. Biofilms are permeable, heterogeneous, and deformable structures that can influence the flow and mass/momentum transport, yet their interaction with flow is not fully understood in part due to technical obstacles impeding quantitative experimental investigations. We have attempted to address these challenges using the PIV technique and fluorescence imaging to investigate the flow field around cylinders enveloped by biofilms at different growth stages. These measurements aim to uncover the coupled dynamics of turbulence and the biofilm development. Preliminary results of PIV measurements of flow-biofilm interactions in channel flow are presented.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationRiver Flow - Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, RIVER FLOW 2016
EditorsGeorge Constantinescu, Marcelo Garcia, Dan Hanes
PublisherCRC Press/Balkema
Pages2135-2139
Number of pages5
ISBN (Print)9781138029132
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
EventInternational Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, RIVER FLOW 2016 - St. Louis, United States
Duration: Jul 11 2016Jul 14 2016

Publication series

NameRiver Flow - Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, RIVER FLOW 2016

Other

OtherInternational Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, RIVER FLOW 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySt. Louis
Period7/11/167/14/16

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

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