Title: Bacterial deposition in unsaturated porous media as related to surface properties

Authors: Gang Chen, Pawan Kumar Subramaniam, Kamal Tawfiq

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA

Abstract: Transport of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis in silica sand under water-unsaturated conditions was investigated using column experiments. It was hypothesised that bacterial deposition was due to their interactions within the pore environment, which was a function of their surface physicochemical properties as well as pore water chemistry. Surface thermodynamic properties of these bacterial strains were measured independently by means of contact angle measurements under different water saturation conditions using variable lawn moisture contents. Bacterial interactions with the liquid-gas interface and the porous media were calculated based on their surface properties and were related to their transport observations.

Keywords: bacterial deposition; unsaturated porous media; surface properties; Escherichia coli; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Bacills subtilis; E coli; surface thermodynamics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2010.031756

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2010 Vol.40 No.4, pp.363 - 379

Published online: 23 Feb 2010 *

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