Interactions of Toxic Trace Metals with Multi-Component Biofilms: A Mechanistic Approach

有毒痕量金属与多组分的相互作用 生物膜：一种机械方法。 这是一个更新奖的支持研究进行 根据NSF批准号86-17408， 镉和铅在水溶液中溶解到固体表面， 已经被生物膜覆盖。 结果导致 开发一个基于机械的结构化模型 可以用来预测这些金属 在一个实验系统中， 物种，其胞外聚合物和固体表面 在恒定pH和离子强度的条件下。 的 更新项目的目标是扩大这一 方法通过引入三价铁作为竞争 微量金属提供一定程度的复杂性 类似于自然环境中的条件 当金属吸附到固体表面时， 环境意义。 这项研究的结果预计将发展知识 影响生物膜形成的因素 固体表面，包括固定膜、生物膜反应器， 用于废水处理。 见解 在这个项目中获得的，预计将导致 定影膜工程设计的改进 用于废水处理的方法，并可应用于 获得比现在更好的理解 沉积物中生物膜形成的机制 天然地表沃茨和地下地层中， 影响地下水污染物的移动。

Interactions of Toxic Trace Metals With Multi-Component Biofilms: A Mechanistic Approach. This is a renewal award for support of research conducted under NSF Grant No. 86-17408 on the adsorption behavior of cadmium and lead in water solution to solid surfaces that had become coated with biofilms. Results led to development of a mechanistically-based, structured model that can be used to predict the behavior of these metals in an experimental system consisting of a single bacterial species, its extracellular polymer and a solid surface under conditions of constant pH and ionic strength. The objective of the renewal project is to extend this approach by introduction of ferric iron as a competing trace metal to provide a degree of complexity more analagous to conditions found in the natural environment where adsorption of metals to solid surfaces is of environmental significance. Results of this research are expected to develop knowledge of factors that influence the formation of biofilms on solid surfaces including fixed-film, biofilm reactors that are used for the treatment of wastewaters. Insights obtained during this project are expected to lead to improvements in the engineering design of fixed-film processes for wastewater treatment and may be applied to obtaining a better understanding than now exists of mechanisms for biofilm formation in sediments underlying natural surface waters and in subsurface formations that affect the movement of groundwater pollutants.