Determination of effective transport coefficients for bacterial migration in sand columns

A well-characterized experimental system was designed to evaluate the effect of porous media on macroscopic transport coefficients which are used to characterize the migration of bacterial populations. Bacterial density profiles of Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 were determined in the presence and absen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology 1995-09, Vol.61 (9), p.3329-3335
Main Authors: Barton, J.W. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.), Ford, R.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACIDE BENZOIQUE
ACIDO BENZOICO
ADSORCION
ADSORPTION
AGUAS SUBTERRANEAS
ARENA
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
CAPA FREATICA
COMPOSE ORGANOCHLORE
COMPUESTO ORGANICO DEL CLORO
CONTROL DE LA CONTAMINACION
EAU SOUTERRAINE
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
LUTTE ANTIPOLLUTION
MATEMATICAS
MATHEMATIQUE
MECANISME CHIMIOTACTIQUE
Microbiology
Migration
Motility, taxis
MOUVEMENT
MOVIMIENTO
NAPPE SOUTERRAINE
POLLUTION DE L'EAU
POLUCION DEL AGUA
PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA
QUIMIOTACTISMO
SABLE
Sand & gravel
TAXIE
TAXIS
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Description
Summary:A well-characterized experimental system was designed to evaluate the effect of porous media on macroscopic transport coefficients which are used to characterize the migration of bacterial populations. Bacterial density profiles of Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 were determined in the presence and absence of a chemical attractant (3-chlorobenzoate) gradient within sand columns having a narrow distribution of particle diameters. These experimental profiles were compared with theoretical predictions to evaluate the macroscopic transport coefficients. The effective random motility coefficiently used to quantify migration due to a random process in a porous medium, decreased nearly 20-fold as grain size in the columns decreased from 800 to 80 micrometers. The effective random motility coefficient mu(eff) was related to the random motility coefficient mu, measured in a bulk aqueous system, according to mu(eff) = (epsilon/tau) mu with porosity epsilon and tortuosity tau. Over the times and distances examined in these experiments, bacterial density profiles were unaffected by the presence of an attractant gradient. Theoretical profiles with the aqueous phase value of the chemotactic sensitivity coefficient (used to quantify migration due to a directed process) were consistent with this result and suggested that any chemotactic effect on bacterial migration was below the detection limits of our assay
ISSN:0099-2240
1098-5336
DOI:10.1128/aem.61.9.3329-3335.1995