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Description
Bacterial biofilms are ubiquitous in natural environments, and can alter the fate and transport of nanoparticles in the subsurface. Henceforth, understanding the interactions between nanoparticles and biofilm in the subsurface is essential for implementing effective measures to protect drinking water supplies. This study explores how soil biofilms influence the transport of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) under environmentally relevant ionic strengths and flow conditions, through column experiments and mathematical modeling. Results show a significant reduction in nZnO transport in the presence of biofilm under all experimental conditions. While classical DLVO theory could not fully explain the enhanced nZnO deposition in the presence of biofilm, factors such as reduced porosity, increased surface roughness, and physical straining explained the experimental results well. A dual-porosity model successfully simulated the experimental data, capturing nZnO transport, retention, and mass exchange between mobile and immobile regions.
Keywords: Soil, ZnO nanoparticles, E. coli, biofilm, modeling
| References | [1] Delay, F., Porel, G., & Chatelier, M. (2013). A dual flowing continuum approach to model denitrification experiments in porous media colonized by biofilms. Journal of contaminant hydrology, 150, 12-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.04.001 [2] Han, Y., Hwang, G., Kim, D., Bradford, S. A., Lee, B., Eom, I., ... & Kim, H. (2016). Transport, retention, and long-term release behavior of ZnO nanoparticle aggregates in saturated quartz sand: Role of solution pH and biofilm coating. Water research, 90, 247-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.12.009 [3] Jiang, X., Wang, X., Tong, M., & Kim, H. (2013). Initial transport and retention behaviors of ZnO nanoparticles in quartz sand porous media coated with Escherichia coli biofilm. Environmental pollution, 174, 38-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2012.11.016 |
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| Country | India |
| Green Housing & Porous Media Focused Abstracts | This abstract is related to Green Housing |
| Student Awards | I would like to submit this presentation into the Earth Energy Science (EES) and Capillarity Student Poster Awards. |
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