title: Bacterial interactions and transport in geological formation of alumino-silica clays.
abstract: Bacterial transport in the subsurface is controlled by their interactions with the surrounding environment, which are determined by the surface properties of the geological formation and bacterial surfaces. In this research, surface thermodynamic properties of Escherichia coli and the geological formation of alumino-silica clays were characterized based on contact angle measurements, which were utilized to quantify the distance-dependent interactions between E. coli and the geological formation according to the traditional and extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) theory. E. coli attachment to alumino-silica clays was evaluated in laboratory columns under saturated and steady-state flow conditions. E. coli deposition coefficient and desorption coefficient were simulated using convection-dispersion transport models against E. coli breakthrough curves, which were then linked to interactions between E. coli and the geological formation. It was discovered that E. coli deposition was controlled by the long-ranged electrostatic interaction and E. coli desorption was attributed to the short-ranged Lifshitz-van der Waals and Lewis acid-base interactions. E. coli transport in three layers of different alumino-silica clays was further examined and the breakthrough curve was simulated using E. coli deposition coefficient and desorption coefficient obtained from their individual column experiments. The well-fitted simulation confirmed that E. coli transport observations were interaction-dependent phenomena between E. coli and the geological formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
authors.forename: Kien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
authors.forename: Boya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tawfiq
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States. Electronic address: gchen@eng.fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D000077215:Clay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D058116:Lewis Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D058115:Lewis Bases / Q000737:chemistry; D009068:Movement; D055672:Static Electricity; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D058116:Lewis Acids; D058115:Lewis Bases; D000077215:Clay
keywords: Alumino-silica clay; Bacteria; E. coli; Geological formation; Interaction; Transport