Transport of metabolically active bacteria in porous media:the effect of substrate, age, and grain size

In our studies we sought to understand the biological processes affecting the microbial transport and retention of metabolically active Pseudomonas putida. To study the role of the metabolic state of the bacteria, we conducted a series of column experiments, varying saturation, substrate concentration, and grain size to help elucidate mechanisms present. Results show a significant difference between the metabolic state in the effluent, under unsaturated conditions, offset by grain-size effects. The presence of substrate appears to influence the breakthrough behavior of these cells in the smaller sand grains. We have also observed that the hydrophobicity of cells change according to their life-cycle. In addition we conducted a simple micro-model experiment, to observe if the cells behavior could be affected by their own motility. The results show that the cells travel with solution, suggesting that the flagella does not significantly contribute to movement through the porous media under these conditions. Furthermore, we monitored the cells in fresh batch solution and filtered solution under the microscope. In this case, we confirmed that during the stationary phase, when the cells are older there is an increased presence of aggregates, contrasting to the cells in the log-phase. There are also very long rod-shaped cells, which appear to undergo a process of cell division. The spatial distribution of these cells was also analyzed. The results indicate there are various mechanisms influencing the retention mechanisms of Pseudomonas putida, which are directly dependent on the metabolic state, substrate presence, and saturation of the porous media. The experimental data were analyzed using a mathematical model under a modified HYDRUS1D.