Speaker
Description
The exploitation of microbial metabolisms for bio-catalysis generally provides sustainable ways of producing renewable polymers. Bioreactors, employing biofilms, are expected to gain in competitiveness and efficiency compared to traditional fermenters. Biofilms are microbial communities embedded in self-produced extracellular polymer substances (EPS) that contain mostly polysaccharides protecting the cells from environmental influences leading to more resistant and more productive processes. Productivity can potentially profit from high surface-to-volume ratios, that are achieved by porous structures with large surfaces. However, growth kinetics have yet rarely been studied on the scale of single pores. This is partly explained with limited experimental access and the lack of suitable in-silico approaches. We therefore aim to study biofilm growth in single pores of a porous bioreactor. As a first step, we have developed a discrete pore-scale model that is able to resolve growth conditions porewise. With this approach, we investigate on a theoretical basis how the gradual reduction of pore volume, resulting from the formation of a pore-biofilm, affects growth and transport kinetics. For this purpose, we assume different penetration of the fluid phase into the evolving biomass (including EPS). Our results suggest local concentration effects and degradation of transport properties. Already the consideration of volume changes due to small pore geometries shows a theoretical impact on the growth kinetics. The study aims to provide a theoretical framework for the investigation of biofilm growth in porous bio-reactors. In this sense, we will provide an overview of theoretical results for general situations, considering e.g. different Damköhler-numbers, biofilm properties, etc..
Acknowledgment:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the programme Research and Innovation - Grant Number ZS/2023/12/182075 and the funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG priority program SPP2494, project no. 559381551 (Assessing terpene productivity of Methanosarcina acetivorans biofilms in porous substrata using a mathematical-physiological approach)).
| References | [1] G. E. Kapellos, T. S. Alexiou, und S. Pavlou, „Fluid-Biofilm Interactions in Porous Media“, in Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Biological Processes, Elsevier, 2015, S. 207–238. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-408077-5.00008-0. [2] E. Aamer u. a., „Pore Network Model for Study of Biofilm Growth Limitations in Porous Substrata“, Transp. Porous Media, Bd. 153, Nr. 1, S. 12, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.1007/s11242-025-02261-6. |
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| Country | Germany |
| Student Awards | I would like to submit this presentation into the Earth Energy Science (EES) and Capillarity Student Poster Awards. |
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