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Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and...
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Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 12142

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sung Woo Bae

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 21 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119077, Singapore
Interests: biofilm; membrane biofouling
Dr. Hyun-Suk Oh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science & Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Interests: water treatment; membrane biofouling; biofilm; quorum sensing; microplastics; biogas production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to invite you to submit a paper for MDPI Membranes for the Special Issue “Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment”. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms held together by secreted substances that are attached to a surface or present as assemblies suspended in liquid. Biofilm formation allows microbes to live in close proximity to each other with a broad range of advantages such as adhesion/cohesion capabilities, mechanical properties, nutritional sources, metabolite exchange platform, cellular communication, protection, and resistance to drugs. Particularly, biofilms have adverse effects on industrial, agricultural, and food distribution systems and human health, while they play an integral role in biogeochemical cycles in every ecosystem on the planet.  

To address this important issue in the membrane system for water and wastewater treatment, the Special Issue of Membranes will focus on the development of microbial biofilm and state-of-the-art technologies for biofilm control in water and wastewater treatment. Articles for this interdisciplinary Special Issue should focus on either the fundamental or the applicative aspects of biofilm formation and biofouling control in water and wastewater treatments. We especially encourage studies that discuss biofilm formation and its control in various membrane systems. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

  1. The impact of biofilm formation and development on membrane systems;
  2. Microbial ecology in biofilm development;
  3. The development and characterization of novel technologies for biofouling control;
  4. The inhibition of microbial quorum sensing for biofouling control;
  5. The development of granules in membrane coupled processes;
  6. The role of biofilms in aerobic and anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactors;
  7. The analysis of mechanisms for biofouling in various membrane processes. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sung Woo Bae
Dr. Hyun-Suk Oh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilm
  • membrane
  • biofouling
  • water and wastewater

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3809 KiB  
Article
Inhibiting Biofilm Formation via Simultaneous Application of Nitric Oxide and Quorum Quenching Bacteria
by Youkyoung Kim, Parthiban Anburajan, Hyeok Kim and Hyun-Suk Oh
Membranes 2023, 13(10), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13100836 - 20 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1947
Abstract
Membrane biofouling is an inevitable challenge in membrane-based water treatment systems such as membrane bioreactors. Recent studies have shown that biological approaches based on bacterial signaling can effectively control biofilm formation. Quorum quenching (QQ) is known to inhibit biofilm growth by disrupting quorum [...] Read more.
Membrane biofouling is an inevitable challenge in membrane-based water treatment systems such as membrane bioreactors. Recent studies have shown that biological approaches based on bacterial signaling can effectively control biofilm formation. Quorum quenching (QQ) is known to inhibit biofilm growth by disrupting quorum sensing (QS) signaling, while nitric oxide (NO) signaling helps to disperse biofilms. In this study, batch biofilm experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of simultaneously applying NO signaling and QQ for biofilm control using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as a model microorganism. The NO treatment involved the injection of NONOates (NO donor compounds) into mature biofilms, while QQ was implemented by immobilizing QQ bacteria (Escherichia coli TOP10-AiiO or Rhodococcus sp. BH4) in alginate or polyvinyl alcohol/alginate beads to preserve the QQ activity. When QQ beads were applied together with (Z)-1-[N-(3-aminopropyl)-N-(n-propyl) amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (PAPA NONOate), they achieved a 39.0% to 71.3% reduction in biofilm formation, which was substantially higher compared to their individual applications (16.0% to 54.4%). These findings highlight the significant potential of combining QQ and NO technologies for effective biofilm control across a variety of processes that require enhanced biofilm inhibition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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16 pages, 4239 KiB  
Article
Incipient Biofouling Detection via Fiber Optical Sensing and Image Analysis in Reverse Osmosis Processes
by Helge Oesinghaus, Daniel Wanken, Kilian Lupp, Martina Gastl, Martin Elsner and Karl Glas
Membranes 2023, 13(6), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060553 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a widely used membrane technology for producing process water or tap water that is receiving increased attention due to water scarcity caused by climate change. A significant challenge in any membrane filtration is the presence of deposits on the [...] Read more.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a widely used membrane technology for producing process water or tap water that is receiving increased attention due to water scarcity caused by climate change. A significant challenge in any membrane filtration is the presence of deposits on the membrane surfaces, which negatively affect filtration performance. Biofouling, the formation of biological deposits, poses a significant challenge in RO processes. Early detection and removal of biofouling are essential for effective sanitation and prevention of biological growth in RO-spiral wound modules. This study introduces two methods for the early detection of biofouling, capable of identifying initial stages of biological growth and biofouling in the spacer-filled feed channel. One method utilizes polymer optical fibre sensors that can be easily integrated into standard spiral wound modules. Additionally, image analysis was used to monitor and analyze biofouling in laboratory experiments, providing a complementary approach. To validate the effectiveness of the developed sensing approaches, accelerated biofouling experiments were conducted using a membrane flat module, and the results were compared with common online and offline detection methods. The reported approaches enable the detection of biofouling before known online parameters become indicative, effectively providing an online detection with sensitivities otherwise only achieved through offline characterization methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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17 pages, 2205 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Operational Conditions on the Treatment Performance of Milk Processing Wastewater (MPW) Using a Single Stage Flexible Fibre Biofilm Reactor (SS-FFBR)
by Mohamed Abdulgader, Jimmy Yu, Ali Akbar Zinatizadeh, Philip Williams and Zahra Rahimi
Membranes 2023, 13(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13010037 - 28 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1830
Abstract
The performance of a biofilm system, single-stage flexible fibre biofilm reactor (SS-FFBR) treating milk processing wastewater (MPW) is evaluated under various process and operational conditions. The system behavior is analyzed with different biological and physical parameters. Results show that the high COD removal [...] Read more.
The performance of a biofilm system, single-stage flexible fibre biofilm reactor (SS-FFBR) treating milk processing wastewater (MPW) is evaluated under various process and operational conditions. The system behavior is analyzed with different biological and physical parameters. Results show that the high COD removal efficiency of 95% is obtained at a low CODin concentration of 809 mg/L. However, the COD removal is slightly decreased to 91.7% once the CODin concentration incremented to nearly 4000 mg/L. The effect of organic loading rate (OLR) on the SS-FFBR performance is examined as total suspended solids removal efficiency, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. The SS-FFBR showed considerable performance, so that 89.9% and 89.7% removal efficiencies in terms of COD and TSS removals, respectively, obtained at the highest OLR of 11.7 kg COD/m3d. TSS removal efficiency of 96.7% is obtained at a low OLR of 1.145 kg COD/m3d. A linear relationship between the OLR and COD removal rate was revealed. The COD removal rate was incremented from 1.08 to 10.68 kg COD/m3d as the OLR increased from 1.145 to 11.7 kg COD/m3d. Finally, the operating system is a promising technique recommended to treat various industrial wastewaters with high OLR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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Review

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12 pages, 303 KiB  
Review
Development and Control of Biofilms: Novel Strategies Using Natural Antimicrobials
by Sheetal Jha and Sanjeev Anand
Membranes 2023, 13(6), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060579 - 2 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2087
Abstract
Separation membranes have a wide application in the food industry, for instance, in the clarification/fractionation of milk, the concentration/separation of selected components, and wastewater treatment. They provide a large area for bacteria to attach and colonize. When a product comes into contact with [...] Read more.
Separation membranes have a wide application in the food industry, for instance, in the clarification/fractionation of milk, the concentration/separation of selected components, and wastewater treatment. They provide a large area for bacteria to attach and colonize. When a product comes into contact with a membrane, it initiates bacterial attachment/colonization and eventually forms biofilms. Several cleaning and sanitation protocols are currently utilized in the industry; however, the heavy fouling of the membrane over a prolonged duration affects the overall cleaning efficiency. In view of this, alternative approaches are being developed. Therefore, the objective of this review is to describe the novel strategies for controlling membrane biofilms such as enzyme-based cleaner, naturally produced antimicrobials of microbial origin, and preventing biofilm development using quorum interruption. Additionally, it aims to report the constitutive microflora of the membrane and the development of the predominance of resistant strains over prolonged usage. The emergence of predominance could be associated with several factors, of which, the release of antimicrobial peptides by selective strains is a prominent factor. Therefore, naturally produced antimicrobials of microbial origin could thus provide a promising approach to control biofilms. Such an intervention strategy could be implemented by developing a bio-sanitizer exhibiting antimicrobial activity against resistant biofilms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
13 pages, 1834 KiB  
Review
Mini-Review of Biofilm Interactions with Surface Materials in Industrial Piping System
by Haoyi Yang, Zezheng Xu, Zetong Xu and Yuanzhe Li
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020125 - 18 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3485
Abstract
The growth of biofilm, which is caused by microorganism accumulation and growth on wetted surfaces, may damage industrial piping systems, increase maintenance and cleaning costs for the system sterilization, and even divulge the immune system into high risk. This article systematically analyzes the [...] Read more.
The growth of biofilm, which is caused by microorganism accumulation and growth on wetted surfaces, may damage industrial piping systems, increase maintenance and cleaning costs for the system sterilization, and even divulge the immune system into high risk. This article systematically analyzes the biofilm interactions with piping surface materials from the perspectives of physical convection, and biological and chemical adhesion. The thermodynamics of the flow, bacterial surface sensing, and bio-communication are the most critical factors for biofilm attachment. Furthermore, experimental analysis methods as well as biofilm control and removal approaches, are also included in this study. Finally, the resistance and growth of biofilm, as well as the practical and advanced methodology to control the biofilm and challenges associated with technology, are also discussed. Moreover, this paper may also offer a significant reference for the practice and strategic applications to address the biofilm resistance issues in industrial piping. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation and Control in Membrane Systems for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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