Hi everyone,
I intend to detach biofilm from activated carbon media by vortexing. I will then enrich bacteria. However, I am not sure how long and how strong that I should set up for vortexing process so that I could detach almost biofilm from AC.
Could you please give me some suggestions?
Thanks.
I assume that when you write Vortexing you mean using a magnetic stirrer in Beaker.
I must admit that I have my doubts that this will be very efficient since in really you get a low turbulence. My experience from full-scale Biofilm System says that you need a very High turbulence to loosen the Biofilm. In example to clean a BAF we use 20 m/h waterflow combined with 80 m/h airflow. This could be achieved by spargin air into the Beaker during stirring.
Kim is correct, vortexing does not guarantee always a high/efficient removal. Also, you have to consider the type of bacteria you might have in your system together with the presence of more or less EPS that could influence the process.
I recall that pulsed low intensity sonication might give better results. Here is an article with a protocol that you can use as a starting point for your experiments:
Article Influence of microbial interactions and EPS/polysaccharide c...
Hello, you can try NaOH solution (3 Molar) using a magnetic stirrer in a beaker.
Thank you for your suggestions.
@ Kim Helleshoj Soerensen: Actually I intend to use Vortex-Genie 2 Mixer to vortex my samples not a magnetic stirrer in a beaker, do you think it will work?.
@ Fabrizio Sabba: Thank you so much for your sharing. I also think about using of sonication but I just worry it could destroy bacterial cells.
To be honest I was my self thinking of giving the same recommendation as Fabrizio by suggesting sonication at low level so that you will not destroy the cells. I looked at the vortex Apparatus and to me you will not get enough scouring since the PAC will just follow the movement of the water since the et density is only slightly higher than that of water when you have biomass on it. the advantages of an air and water scour is that here you change the relative density of the PAC since the water is full of air. I guess if you work at this small scale even handshaking will be more efficient that you Vortex Machine since if is done in large movement you will get an Air water mixture, but consider sonication.
Thank you. So I will try with sonication to detach biofilm
Have a nice day.
The removal of a Biofilm covered medium by any physical method will - at best - prove no more than approximately 80% effective. Additional means beyond the physical are necessary to remove all components of the Biofilm. We are really discussing EPS removal. Steam works well, but cation exchange resin is very effective. See Zheng and Bishop (1999) in WST for a comparison of Biofilm extraction methods (to quantify EPS).
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