A transient biological fouling model for constant flux microfiltration

Vincenzo Luongo; Maria Rosaria Mattei; Luigi Frunzo; Berardino D'Acunto; Kunal Gupta; Shankararaman Chellam; Nick Cogan; Vincenzo Luongo; Maria Rosaria Mattei; Luigi Frunzo; Berardino D'Acunto; Kunal Gupta; Shankararaman Chellam; Nick Cogan

doi:10.3934/mbe.2023058

Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering

2023, Volume 20, Issue 1: 1274-1296. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2023058

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Research article

A transient biological fouling model for constant flux microfiltration

1.
Department of Mathematics and Applications "Renato Caccioppoli", University of Naples Federico II, via Cintia, Monte S. Angelo, Naples, I-80126, Italy
2.
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
3.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
4.
Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, 208 Love Building, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4510, USA

Academic Editor: Yang Kuang

Received: 24 August 2022 Revised: 03 October 2022 Accepted: 10 October 2022 Published: 27 October 2022

Microfiltration is a widely used engineering technology for fresh water production and water treatment. The major concern in many applications is the formation of a biological fouling layer leading to increased hydraulic resistance and flux decline during membrane operations. The growth of bacteria constituting such a biological layer implicates the formation of a multispecies biofilm and the consequent increase of operational costs for reactor management and cleaning procedures. To predict the biofouling evolution, a mono-dimensional continuous free boundary model describing biofilm dynamics and EPS production in different operational phases of microfiltration systems has been well studied. The biofouling growth is governed by a system of hyperbolic PDEs. Substrate dynamics are modeled through parabolic equations accounting for diffusive and advective fluxes generated during the filtration process. The free boundary evolution depends on both microbial growth and detachment processes. What is not addressed is the interplay between biofilm dynamics, filtration, and water recovery. In this study, filtration and biofilm growth modeling principles have been coupled for the definition of an original mathematical model able to reproduce biofouling evolution in membrane systems. The model has been solved numerically to simulate biologically relevant conditions, and to investigate the hydraulic behavior of the membrane. It has been calibrated and validated using lab-scale data. Numerical results accurately predicted the pressure drop occurring in the microfiltration system. A calibrated model can give information for optimization protocols as well as fouling prevention strategies.
- microfiltration,
- biofouling,
- biofilms,
- free boundary value problem,
- numerical simulations
Citation: Vincenzo Luongo, Maria Rosaria Mattei, Luigi Frunzo, Berardino D'Acunto, Kunal Gupta, Shankararaman Chellam, Nick Cogan. A transient biological fouling model for constant flux microfiltration[J]. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 2023, 20(1): 1274-1296. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2023058

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Abstract

Microfiltration is a widely used engineering technology for fresh water production and water treatment. The major concern in many applications is the formation of a biological fouling layer leading to increased hydraulic resistance and flux decline during membrane operations. The growth of bacteria constituting such a biological layer implicates the formation of a multispecies biofilm and the consequent increase of operational costs for reactor management and cleaning procedures. To predict the biofouling evolution, a mono-dimensional continuous free boundary model describing biofilm dynamics and EPS production in different operational phases of microfiltration systems has been well studied. The biofouling growth is governed by a system of hyperbolic PDEs. Substrate dynamics are modeled through parabolic equations accounting for diffusive and advective fluxes generated during the filtration process. The free boundary evolution depends on both microbial growth and detachment processes. What is not addressed is the interplay between biofilm dynamics, filtration, and water recovery. In this study, filtration and biofilm growth modeling principles have been coupled for the definition of an original mathematical model able to reproduce biofouling evolution in membrane systems. The model has been solved numerically to simulate biologically relevant conditions, and to investigate the hydraulic behavior of the membrane. It has been calibrated and validated using lab-scale data. Numerical results accurately predicted the pressure drop occurring in the microfiltration system. A calibrated model can give information for optimization protocols as well as fouling prevention strategies.

References

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