Eradication of Biofilms in Metal Working Fluids

金属加工液应用于许多制造过程中，以确保减少刀具磨损和提高工件质量。在世界范围内，每年消耗的金属加工液超过5亿加仑。微生物污染是这些流体降解的一个重要因素，造成生物污染和设备腐蚀，危害产品质量，并构成职业安全风险。一旦金属加工液被微生物污染，清除细菌是一项艰巨的任务。残留的细菌可以迅速重新繁殖，即使经过细致的清洁和充电程序。在工作流体系统中难以接近的区域内的微生物生物膜可能是清洁后快速繁殖的原因。生物膜是附着的微生物群落，其功能依赖于复杂的社会相互作用。群体感应为生物膜细胞提供了交流和集体控制群体行为的手段。该奖项支持群体感应抑制策略的基础研究，以减少/消除生物膜的形成。研究结果可以帮助提高金属加工液的可持续性，减少浪费，并有助于限制居住在液体中的潜在致病菌的职业暴露。这在制造业中是一个非常大的问题，在汽车、航空航天、医疗产品和国防工业中都有应用，因此直接和积极地影响着美国的经济福利和国家安全。该奖项包括资助外展活动，特别是吸引美国原住民学生进入工程领域。蒙大拿州立大学生物膜工程中心将进行一项为期三年的研究，以改善金属加工液的管理，使用一种环保的替代方案来去除金属加工液循环系统中的生物膜。采用两阶段方法，将筛选经济可行的药剂，以有效减少/消除金属加工液中形成生物膜的生物。第一阶段将包括筛选化学/合成群体感应抑制剂、细菌色素和生物工程酶的基质，以检测它们在微孔板检测中根除生物膜的能力。最有效的药剂将被优化，以去除生物膜，无论是单独还是与标准杀菌剂联合使用。第二阶段将扩大选定药剂的实验规模，以确定MWF循环系统中生物膜的抑制/去除效果，包括CDC生物反应器和由学生顶点小组设计和建造的功能齐全的可高压灭菌数控铣床模型。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Metal working fluids are applied in many manufacturing processes to ensure reduced tool wear and improved work piece quality. Worldwide, more than half a billion gallons of metal working fluids are consumed annually. Microbial contamination is a significant factor in the degradation of these fluids, causing biofouling and corrosion of equipment, imperilment of product quality, and posing occupational safety risks. Once metal working fluids are microbially contaminated, removing bacteria is a difficult task. Residual bacteria can quickly repopulate, even after meticulous cleaning and recharge procedures. Microbial biofilms within the inaccessible regions of a working fluid system are likely responsible for the rapid post-cleaning repopulation. Biofilms are attached microbial communities whose function depends on complex social interactions. Quorum sensing provides the means for biofilm cells to communicate and collectively control group behavior. This award supports fundamental research on quorum sensing inhibition strategies to reduce/eliminate biofilm formation. Research results can help to increase the sustainability of metal working fluids, reduce waste, and help limit occupational exposure to potentially pathogenic bacteria inhabiting the fluids. This is a very large concern in manufacturing, with applications in automotive, aerospace, medical products and defense industries, and therefore directly and positively impacts American economic welfare and national security. The award includes funding of outreach activities, especially for attraction of Native American students into engineering. A three-year study at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University will be performed to improve metal working fluid management using an eco-friendly alternative to remove biofilms residing within metal working fluid circulation systems. Using a two-phase approach, economically feasible agents will be screened for their ability to effectively reduce/eliminate biofilm forming organisms in metal working fluids. Phase one will involve screening a matrix of chemical/synthetic quorum sensing inhibition agents, bacterial pigments, and bioengineered enzymes for their ability to eradicate biofilm in microplate assays. The most efficacious agents would be optimized to remove biofilm, both singly and in combination with standard biocide treatments. Phase two would scale up experiments on selected agents to determine suppression/removal of biofilm in MWF circulation systems including CDC bioreactors and a fully functional, autoclavable model of a CNC milling machine designed and built by a student capstone team.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.