Impact of Chemotactic Gradients and Flow Conditions on Transport of Motile Microbes in Pore Networks
EMSL Project ID
60523
Abstract
A series of experiments with motile bacteria, using microfluidic devices and advance imaging techniques, will be conducted to quantify the fundamental character of bacterial motion in porous media during active swimming. The experiments, conducted under different flow conditions (uniform flow fields) and chemotactic gradients will form the basis for development and testing of new models of microbial transport and retention. After the conclusion of the one-month long limited scope project, the micro-scale experimental observations and the models developed will be included in pore-scale simulations that will be used to generalize and upscale microbial transport to a broader range of pore geometries and flow conditions. The results of pore-scale simulations will be used to parameterize effective transport and retention properties for field-scale models of microbial transport that can be incorporated into existing simulators of metal bioremediation. The enhanced models will support improved evaluation and design of future bioremediation implementations, thereby promoting better solutions to contamination problems and reducing risk of exposure to human and environmental receptors.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2022-12-01
End Date
2023-02-28
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members