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Escherichia coli Removal in Biochar-Modified Biofilters: Effects of Biofilm

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  • A R M Nabiul Afrooz
  • Alexandria B Boehm

Abstract

The presence of microbial contaminants in urban stormwater is a significant concern for public health; however, their removal by traditional stormwater biofilters has been reported as inconsistent and inadequate. Recent work has explored the use of biochar to improve performance of stormwater biofilters under simplified conditions that do not consider potential effects of biofilm development on filter media. The present study investigates the role of biofilm on microbial contaminant removal performance of stormwater biofilters. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms were formed in laboratory-scale sand and biochar-modified sand packed columns, which were then challenged with Escherichia coli laden synthetic stormwater containing natural organic matter. Results suggests that the presence of biofilm influences the removal of E. coli. However, the nature of the influence depends on the specific surface area and the relative hydrophobicity of filter media. The distribution of attached bacteria within the columns indicates that removal by filter media varies along the length of the column: the inlet was the primary removal zone regardless of experimental conditions. Findings from this research inform the design of field-scale biofilters for better and consistent performance in removing microbial contaminants from urban stormwater.

Suggested Citation

  • A R M Nabiul Afrooz & Alexandria B Boehm, 2016. "Escherichia coli Removal in Biochar-Modified Biofilters: Effects of Biofilm," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0167489
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167489
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    Cited by:

    1. Benjamin P Kranner & A R M Nabiul Afrooz & Nicole J M Fitzgerald & Alexandria B Boehm, 2019. "Fecal indicator bacteria and virus removal in stormwater biofilters: Effects of biochar, media saturation, and field conditioning," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, September.
    2. Ahmed Sharaf & Bing Guo & David C. Shoults & Nicholas J. Ashbolt & Yang Liu, 2020. "Viability of a Single-Stage Unsaturated-Saturated Granular Activated Carbon Biofilter for Greywater Treatment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Hamid Reza Asghari & Günther Bochmann & Zahra Taghizadeh Tabari, 2022. "Effectiveness of Biochar and Zeolite Soil Amendments in Reducing Pollution of Municipal Wastewater from Nitrogen and Coliforms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-13, July.

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