Effect of Strain-Specific Biofilm Properties on the Retention of Colloids in Saturated Porous Media under Conditions of Stormwater Biofiltration

Filter performance can be affected by bacterial colonization of the filtration media, yet little is known about how naturally occurring bacteria modify the surface properties of filtration media to affect colloidal removal. We used sand columns and simulated stormwater conditions to study the retention of model colloidal particles, carboxyl-modified-latex (CML) beads, in porous media colonized by naturally occurring bacterial strains. Colloid retention varied substantially across identical columns colonized by different, in some cases closely related, bacterial strains in a cell density independent manner. Atomic force microscopy was applied to quantify the interaction energy between CML beads and each bacterial strain's biofilm surface. We found interaction energy between CML and each strain was significantly different, with adhesive energies between the biofilm and CML, presumed to be associated with polymer-surface bonding, a better predictor of CML retention than other strain characteristics. Overall, the findings suggest that interactions with biopolymers in naturally occurring bacterial biofilms strongly influence colloid retention in porous media. This work highlights the need for more investigation into the role of biofilm microbial community composition on colloid removal in porous media to improve biofilter design and operation.