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Computational exploration of disinfection of bacterial biofilms in partially blocked channels
Author(s) -
Cogan N. G.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in biomedical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.741
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 2040-7947
pISSN - 2040-7939
DOI - 10.1002/cnm.1451
Subject(s) - biofilm , boundary (topology) , biochemical engineering , function (biology) , mechanism (biology) , computer science , bacteria , biological system , environmental science , biology , engineering , mathematics , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , mathematical analysis , genetics , quantum mechanics
SUMMARY The failure of typical disinfectant protocols to eliminate bacterial biofilms is one of the major concerns in industrial, clinical, and environmental biofilm control. Biofilms have a variety of mechanisms that protect the bacteria including physiological, physical, and phenotypic mechanisms. This investigation focuses on an aspect of protection that exploits the combination of physiological tolerance and nutrient gradients. In particular, the fluid flow in a channel that is partially blocked introduces diffusion limited zones where the bacteria can evade the disinfectant challenge. These zones are both up‐ and down‐stream of the obstacle. Using a computational study of a two‐fluid system, this novel mechanism is explored. The model is numerically solved using a hybrid boundary integral method where boundary conditions are implemented using the free space Green's function to determine forces that are imparted on the fluid by the boundaries. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.