Investigating the Influence of the Initial Biomass Distribution and Injection Strategies on Biofilm-Mediated Calcite Precipitation in Porous Media

• DOI: 10.1007/s11242-015-0617-3
• Publication Date: 2015-12-16T04:58:26Z
• Authors: Johannes Hommel; Ellen Lauchnor; Robin Gerlach; Alfred B. Cunningham; Anozie Ebigbo; Rainer Helmig; Holger Class
• Keywords: Sedimentation

Abstract Attachment of bacteria in porous media is a complex mixture processes resulting the transfer and immobilization suspended cells onto solid surface within medium. Quantifying rate attachment difficult due to many simultaneous possibly involved attachment, including straining, sorption, sedimentation, difficulties measuring metabolically active attached media. Preliminary experiments confirmed difficulty associated with Sporosarcina pasteurii However, key process applications biofilm-mediated reactions subsurface such as microbially induced calcite precipitation. Independent exact involved, determines both distribution initial amount biomass reaction rate. As direct experimental investigations are difficult, this study limited numerical investigation effect various distributions amounts biomass. This performed for injection strategies, changing well alternating between continuous pulsed injections. The results indicate that, selected scenarios, have minor influence on Ca $$^{2+}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mrow /> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:math> precipitation efficiency precipitates compared strategy. final precipitated limited, except at intermediate But even strategy, shows no significant dependence distribution.