Dynamics of Biofilm Regrowth in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Dynamics of Biofilm Regrowth in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

UNLABELLED The majority of biomass within water distribution systems is in the form of attached biofilm. This is known to be central to drinking water quality degradation following treatment, yet little understanding of the dynamics of these highly heterogeneous communities exists. This paper presents original information on such dynamics, with findings demonstrating patterns of material accumu...

Dynamics of drinking water biofilm in flow/non-flow conditions.

Drinking water biofilm formation on polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) was followed in three different reactors operating under stagnant or continuous flow regimes. After one week, a quasi-steady state was achieved where biofilm total cell numbers per unit surface area were not affected by fluctuations in the concen...

Pre-processing and visualization of biofilm development in drinking water distribution systems

Biofilm develops in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) as complex microorganism communities covered by an extracellular polysaccharide which provides them structure, protection against disinfectants and helps retain food. Biofilm poses a serious risk to DWDSs. The presence of substantial and active attached biomass in the inner wall of pipes can protect pathogenic microorganism, lead t...

Effects of phosphorus on biofilm disinfections in model drinking water distribution systems.

Drinking water biofilm development is affected by the available nutrient levels and the presence of disinfectants. Phosphorus is recognized as another important limiting nutrient besides organic carbon. In this study, drinking water biofilms were developed in annular reactors to examine the effects of phosphorus on the biofilm disinfections with free chlorine and monochloramine. Phosphorus addi...

Biofilms in drinking water distribution systems