Mechanical properties of a mature biofilm from a wastewater system: from microscale to macroscale level |
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| Authors: | Ashkan Safari Zeljko Tukovic Maik Walter Eoin Casey |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin, Ireland;2. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia;3. School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin, Ireland |
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| Abstract: | A fundamental understanding of biofilm mechanical stability is critical in order to describe detachment and develop biofouling control strategies. It is thus important to characterise the elastic deformation and flow behaviour of the biofilm under different modes of applied force. In this study, the mechanical properties of a mature wastewater biofilm were investigated with methods including macroscale compression and microscale indentation using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mature biofilm was found to be mechanically isotropic at the macroscale level as its mechanical properties did not depend on the scales and modes of loading. However, the biofilm showed a tendency for mechanical inhomogeneity at the microscale level as indentation progressed deeper into the matrix. Moreover, it was observed that the adhesion force had a significant influence on the elastic properties of the biofilm at the surface, subjected to microscale tensile loading. These results are expected to inform a damage-based model for biofilm detachment. |
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| Keywords: | biofilm elastic modulus viscoelastic properties macroscale mechanical testing atomic force spectroscopy |
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