- Title
- Elucidating the impact of micro-scale heterogeneous bacterial distribution on biodegradation
- Creator
- Schmidt, Susanne; Kreft, Jan-Ulrich; Mackay, Rae; Picioreanu, Cristian; Thullner, Martin
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/164652
- Identifier
- vital:13112
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.013
- Identifier
- ISBN:0309-1708
- Abstract
- Groundwater microorganisms hardly ever cover the solid matrix uniformly–instead they form micro-scale colonies. To which extent such colony formation limits the bioavailability and biodegradation of a substrate is poorly understood. We used a high-resolution numerical model of a single pore channel inhabited by bacterial colonies to simulate the transport and biodegradation of organic substrates. These high-resolution 2D simulation results were compared to 1D simulations that were based on effective rate laws for bioavailability-limited biodegradation. We (i) quantified the observed bioavailability limitations and (ii) evaluated the applicability of previously established effective rate concepts if microorganisms are heterogeneously distributed. Effective bioavailability reductions of up to more than one order of magnitude were observed, showing that the micro-scale aggregation of bacterial cells into colonies can severely restrict the bioavailability of a substrate and reduce in situ degradation rates. Effective rate laws proved applicable for upscaling when using the introduced effective colony sizes.
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Relation
- Advances in Water Resources Vol. 116, no. (2018), p. 67-76
- Rights
- Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 0102 Applied Mathematics; 0905 Civil Engineering; 0907 Environmental Engineering; Bioavailability; Effective rate laws; Pore-scale microbial degradation; Upscaling
- Full Text
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