Biofilm Systems Iv

In the last decade biofilm systems have made staggering progress. With adaptation of the process to nitrogen removal, trickling filters have become an economical alternative to activated sludge, enabling the upgrading of thousands of plants. Better understanding of rotating biological contractors has made them a preferred technology for small-scale plants, and there is growing use of biological aerated filters, especially in small-footprint nitrogen removal. High-rate fluidised bed or airlift reactors, both anaerobic and aerobic, with and without carriers, have shown their efficiency in several hundred industrial applications, leading to applications in municipal treatment. Moving bed biofilm reactors now compete with hybrid systems for upgrading existing activated sludge basins. The biofilm conference also brings together professionals studying clean water aspects of biofilms with those applying them to wastewater reactors. While the latter use the growth of fixed bacteria to optimise the efficiency of treatment systems, the former aim to combat formation of biofilms in distribution networks. But many tools for analysis and modelling can be shared, and the knowledge of what favours biofilm growth and performance can be used to inhibit their occurrence. These proceedings offer an unrivalled authoritative collection of current work worldwide on the research, development and application of biofilm systems.

A state-of-the-art review of biofilm science and technology, incorporating approaches from microbiology, physical chemistry, environmental engineering and chemical engineering. The book describes the physical and chemical properties of biofilms and the processes by which they accumulate.

This volume and its companion, Volume 337, supplement Volume 310. These volumes provide a contemporary sourcebook for virtually any kind of experimental approach involving biofilms. They cover bioengineering, molecular, genetic, microscopic, chemical, and physical methods.

Structure and Function of Biofilms W.G. Characklis P.A. Wilderer Editors Biofilms, the accumulation of microorganisms at surfaces (e.g. a rock, a heat exchanger tube, an oil droplet, a tooth, or a medical implant) play an important role in nature and have recently received increasing attention in science as well as in technology. This volume contains a summary of the current state of knowledge concerning the behavior of microorganisms in a biofilm and their physical, chemical, and biological interactions with each other and with the environment at both the biofilm—substratum and the biofilm—bulk liquid interfaces. New techniques to investigate biofilms and to predict the performance of biofilm systems are presented and future research needs are identified. An excellent source of information for microbiologists, medical scientists and engineers is provided.

The history of natural sciences demonstrates that major advances in the understanding of natural processes follow the development of relevant tools. The progress of biofilm research is no different. While individual areas have mushroomed in recent years, difficulties in reproducing results, communicating new findings, and reconciling differences in

Biofilms affect the lives of all of us, growing as they do for example on our teeth (as plaque), on catheters and medical implants in our bodies, on our boats and ships, in food processing environments, and in drinking and industrial water treatment systems. They are highly complex biological communities whose detailed structure and functioning is only gradually being unravelled, with the development of increasingly sophisticated technology for their study. Biofilms almost always have a negative impact on human affairs (flocs in sewage treatment plants are a major exception) and a lot of research is being carried out to gain a better understanding of them, so that we will be in a better position to control them. This volume, with contributions by international experts from widely diverse areas of this field, presents a state-of-the-art picture of where we are at present in terms of our knowledge of biofilms, the techniques being used to study them, and possible strategies for controlling their growth more successfully. It should provide a valuable reference source for information on biofilms and their control for many years to come.

Biofilms and Implantable Medical Devices: Infection and Control explores the increasing use of permanent and semi-permanent implants and indwelling medical devices. As an understanding of the growth and impact of biofilm formation on these medical devices and biomaterials is vital for protecting the health of the human host, this book provides readers with a comprehensive treatise on biofilms and their relationship with medical devices, also reporting on infections and associated strategies for prevention. Provides useful information on the fundamentals of biofilm problems in medical devices Discusses biofilm problems in a range of medical devices Focuses on strategies for prevention of biofilm formation

Microbial biofilms provide challenges in many fields of science, technology, and engineering. Advances in Biofilm Science and Engineering offers a state of the art review of new science about microbial biofilms in the areas of biotechnology, healthcare, and medicine.The purpose of this text is to strengthen [the biofilm] information nucleus by offering six core discussions of established concepts in biofilm science. The audience for this text is not just academic; it is trade. This book is for physicians, industrial microbiologists, product managers, process engineers, policy makers and public health officials. [The] authors represent some of the brightest researchers in the field of biofilm science and engineering and comprise a small subset of the research community with a passion for bringing biofilm information to industrial and medical trade professionals.Table of ContentsForward, by Ryan JordanChapter 1. The History and Use of Heterotrophic Plate Counts in Water Systems, by Anne Camper (Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University)Chapter 2. Methods for Biofilm Study and Assays for Biofilm Susceptibility and Target Recognition: Approaches to Deal with the Biofilm Mode of Life, by Howard Ceri, Merle E. Olson, D. Storey, and D. Morck (Biofilm Research Group and Biological Sciences, University of Calgary)Chapter 3. Extracellular Polymeric Substances, by H.C. Flemming and J. Wingender (Gerhard-Mercator-University Duisburg Insitute of Interfacial Biotechnology Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Duisburg, Germany)Chapter 4. Biofilms and Antimicrobial Resistance: Beyond Physiological and Chemical Elements, by Peter Gilbert and Andrew McBain (School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester)Chapter 5. Diverse Mechanisms of Biofilm Formation, by Lisa Friedman and Roberto Kolter (Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School)Chapter 6. Biofilm Formation and Control in Food Processing Environments, by Amy C. Lee Wong (Department of Food Microbiology and Toxicology, Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison)