Thesis subject

Isolation and characterization of microorganism involved in membrane biofouling

High quality drinking water, free of (in)organic contaminants and pathogens, can be produced with reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration. Maintenances and operational costs of membrane filtration installations are strongly affected by fouling. Fouling is the undesired accumulation of material within the membrane elements, causing a drastic decrease in system performance and/or water quality.

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Among different kinds of fouling (e.g. organic and inorganic fouling), biological fouling, caused by the deposition and growth of microorganism, is the major type of fouling occurring in RO membrane filtration elements. Biofouling problems in RO units are thought to be due to biomass accumulation on RO membrane surfaces and/or blockage of spacers.

Presently, adequate measures to prevent or reduce biofouling are lacking and frequent cleaning is necessary to reduce operational problems. The microbiological and physical processes associated with biofilm formation and biofouling in RO systems are poorly understood or investigated.

Aim

With the present research we aim to isolate key players from RO units with and without operational problems and to study their physiological and genetic features to develop an advanced biofouling control approach on molecular biological basis.

Techniques and Methods

  • Isolation (different growth media) and identification of microorganism (sequencing, FisH)
  • Determination of basic physiological properties (e.g motility, pH and temperature resistance)
  • Growth yield and growth rate measurements
  • Space for own ideas and experiments (e.g. using: GC, HPLC, SEM, AFM, Raman)

More information

Project for Bsc and/or Msc students with interest in applied environmental microbiology. The research is performed at the laboratories of Wetsus in Leeuwarden, NL.

Supervisor: Florian Beyer
Contact info: Florian.Beyer@wetsus.nl
Tel: 058-2843179
Biofouling Workgroup
Wetsus, Leeuwarden
www.wetsus.nl
Duration: 4-6.5 months
Credits: 39 (max.)

This project is mainly designed for an MSc thesis (6 months), yet it is possible to have a short term (4 months) project. This project aims to give students experience with growing cultures in anaerobic conditions, working with different microbial and molecular techniques and data analysis. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.