Article
Microbiology
Samuele Peppoloni, Bruna Colombari, Davide Tagliazucchi, Alessandra Odorici, Cristiano Ventrucci, Aida Meto, Elisabetta Blasi
Summary: In this study, the effects of pomegranate peel extract on Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth and biofilm formation were evaluated. The results showed that pomegranate peel extract can attenuate P. aeruginosa virulence by impairing bacterial growth, biofilm production, and autoinducer release. Furthermore, specific phenolic compounds in the pomegranate peel extract were consumed during incubation with bacterial cells.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Noya Ran, Gil Sorek, Noa Stein, Revital Sharon-Gojman, Moshe Herzberg, Osnat Gillor
Summary: Biofouling is the main cause of membrane deterioration during water purification processes and has been extensively studied. However, the link between biofouling community structure and function has not been fully understood. This study provides a novel insight by suggesting that bacterial functions control biofouling traits on reverse osmosis membranes, regardless of the composition of the biofilm.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zahidullah, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Shamas Tabraiz, Farhana Maqbool, Fazal Adnan, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Ajmal Shah, Waqar Azeem Jadoon, Tariq Mehmood, Sadia Qayyum, Ziaur Rahman
Summary: The study focused on the antimicrobial, biofilm formation, and biofilm dispersal potential of rhamnolipids (RLs). It was found that RLs can reduce bacterial growth and biofilm formation, while exhibiting substantial dispersal effects on preformed biofilms. The results suggest that RLs have the potential to control and disperse membrane biofouling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cedric Perez, Christine Lors, Pascal Floquet, Benjamin Erable
Summary: The study aims to investigate the role of biofilm in the biodeterioration of cementitious materials during anaerobic digestion. Results show the heterogeneity of microbial populations within the biofilm and their relationship to the reactive medium in anaerobic digestion.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vanessa Ochi Agostini, Sabrina Teixeira Martinez, Erik Muxagata, Alexandre Jose Macedo, Grasiela Lopes Leaes Pinho
Summary: Biofouling causes damage to man-made surfaces, and there is a need for novel, effective, and environmentally friendly antifouling alternatives. This study investigated the antifouling potential of six isonitrosoacetanilide compounds. Some of these compounds showed nontoxic activity against microfouling and macrofouling, and also had biofilm eradication potential. These compounds could be used as friendly antifouling agents with paints.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mamdoh T. Jamal, Sathianeson Satheesh
Summary: Sponge-associated bacterium Alcanivorax sp. isolated from the sponge Siphonochalina siphonella was found to possess antibiofilm activity. The extracts from the bacterium exhibited strong inhibitory activity against biofilm-forming bacteria, and the chemical profiling identified known antibiofilm compounds. These findings suggest that Alcanivorax sp. associated with sponges could be a valuable source of antibiofilm agents.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
So-Young Ham, Han-Shin Kim, Yongsun Jang, Hwa-Soo Ryoo, Jeong-Hoon Lee, Jeong-Hoon Park, Hee-Deung Park
Summary: The study aims to enhance chemical cleaning efficiency in RO processes by combining a dispersion agent linoleic acid with sodium hypochlorite. The optimized combination results in significantly higher flux recovery efficiency and reduces the volume and thickness of biofilm, as well as the amount of extracellular polymeric substances. The combined treatment of linoleic acid and sodium hypochlorite significantly improves biofouling control in RO systems.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jiseon Yang, Jennifer Barrila, C. Mark Ott, Olivia King, Rebekah Bruce, Robert J. C. McLean, Cheryl A. Nickerson
Summary: This study utilized microbial isolates from the ISS potable water system to profile five phenotypes and revealed a temporal dependence on interactive behaviors, suggesting possible microbial adaptation over time within the ecosystem. The findings have implications for microbial risk assessments of water systems in built environments in space and on Earth.
NPJ BIOFILMS AND MICROBIOMES
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Kiarash Ranjbari, Wey Lyn Lee, Ali Ansari, Ana C. Barrios, Fariya Sharif, Rafiqul Islam, Francois Perreault
Summary: This study focuses on the in-situ nucleation of silver nanoparticles on stainless steel to provide localized antibacterial action for biofouling control. Two different passivation approaches were compared, and it was found that sulfidized AgNPs exhibited the highest bacterial inactivation and were the preferred strategy for controlling biofilm formation on the stainless steel surfaces.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Malcolm Dale Stokes
Summary: Organic compounds, azithromycin and hydrous allicin extracts, were incorporated into a silicate sol-gel matrix to create biofouling-resistant windows for oceanographic instrumentation. These windows showed resistance to microbial biofilm formation for up to a week and maintained low levels of fouling for 3 weeks, while bare glass substrates formed biofilms within hours of exposure to seawater. This technique holds promise for the development of translucent solids and coatings using other environmentally friendly biocides.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zuzanna Sycz, Dorota Tichaczek-Goska, Anna Jezierska-Domaradzka, Dorota Wojnicz
Summary: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a serious health problem in the human population due to the chronic and recurrent nature of the infections. Bacteria causing UTIs form multi-species biofilms resistant to conventional antibiotics, leading researchers to search for plant-derived compounds as alternative strategies. Asiatic acid (AA) was found to decrease bacterial survival and biofilm formation, particularly against young biofilms. Further research is needed to understand AA's antibacterial mechanisms of action.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Carolina Maria Viola, Romina Torres-Carro, Maria Cecilia Verni, Eliana del Valle Leal, Stefano Dall'Acqua, Francisca Rodrigues, Elena Cartagena, Maria Rosa Alberto, Mario Eduardo Arena
Summary: The reuse of agricultural waste, such as olive processing residue, can help mitigate environmental pollution. This study found that extracts from olive residue were effective in reducing biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two bacterial strains that contaminate food. The extracts also exhibited antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The presence of phenolic compounds in the extracts, such as luteolin and oleuropein derivatives, contributed to their antipathogenic effects.
Article
Plant Sciences
Teresa Gomes, Jose Alberto Pereira, Jordi Moya-Larano, Jorge Poveda, Teresa Lino-Neto, Paula Baptista
Summary: Plant-associated microorganisms play important roles in host health by promoting the production of specific metabolites. However, our understanding of these mechanisms in plant-microorganism interaction is still limited. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between olive leaf spot disease incidence and the composition of fungal and secondary metabolites in leaves from olive tree cultivars with different susceptibilities. The results revealed that disease development is linked to leaf fungal and metabolite composition, as well as host genotype. Certain metabolites and fungi were identified as biomarkers of plant tolerance/susceptibility to the disease.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Muhammad Sohail Zafar, Rizwan Ullah
Summary: The study compared the effectiveness of natural antimicrobial compounds and synthetic compounds for the control of dental biofilm in children and adolescents. Most included studies reported that natural antimicrobials derived from phenolic compounds were less effective than synthetic antimicrobials in reducing biofilm and plaque index, but further research is needed to improve the quality of evidence.
JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE-BASED DENTAL PRACTICE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Abhishek T. Naik, Kristina M. Kamensky, Aren M. Hellum, Pia H. Moisander
Summary: Marine biofilm growth presents challenges to marine industries, and understanding the microbial communities involved is crucial for effective mitigation strategies. This study examined the assembly and stability of marine biofilm communities under shear-based disturbance, finding that the frequency of shear disturbance significantly alters microbial community succession and biomass stability, affecting the potential for species invasiveness.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yu Ping Su, Lee Nuang Sim, Xin Li, Hans G. L. Coster, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: Piezoelectric membrane can potentially lower operation costs compared to vibratory shear-enhanced process. The morphology of PVDF membranes prepared using different solvents affects their dielectric and piezoelectric properties, with PVDF-DMF showing the highest dielectric strength. Electrical poling enhances the piezoelectric properties of the membranes, with noticeable changes in morphology observed.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Wee Koo, Jia Shin Ho, Jia An, Yi Zhang, Chee Kai Chua, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: This paper discusses the advancements of 3D printing technology in water treatment membranes over the past decade, and debates the feasibility of 3D printing for membranes and spacers. It also introduces various 3D printing techniques, analyzes their suitability for membrane and spacer fabrication, and reviews past studies related to this topic.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Seonki Lee, Huijuan Xu, Scott A. Rice, Tzyy Haur Chong, Hyun-Suk Oh
Summary: Research shows that integrating QQ bacteria into columns can effectively control biofouling formation and reduce transmembrane pressure in RO systems.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ting-Yi Huang, Jia Shin Ho, Shuwen Goh, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: The study investigated the recovery of ethanol from dilute aqueous solutions using supported ionic liquid membrane (SILM) perstraction. The combination of [THTDP][N(CN)2] as a solvent and polymeric microporous membrane (PVDF-GVHP) showed the best overall performance, with high flux and selectivity maintained for 240 hours. This SILM perstraction system proved to be a promising alternative to energy-intensive purification techniques for extracting ethanol as low as 2 wt% from fermentation broths.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ihsan Ullah, Aisha Mateen, Mian Afaq Ahmad, Iqbal Munir, Aqib Iqbal, Khalid M. S. Alghamdi, Habeeb M. Al-Solami, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui
Summary: The study demonstrated the phytoremediation potential of endophytic bacteria AI001 and AI002 in rice plants contaminated with Cd. These bacteria not only improved plant growth and expression of heavy metal ATPase genes, but also alleviated electrolyte leakage.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ting-Yi Huang, Jangwon Seo, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: In this study, the dynamics of wetting of commercial hydrophobic PTFE membranes by an immiscible IL was characterized using UTDR. The commercial PTFE membranes exhibited a poor anti-wetting property against concentrated THTDP IL due to the chemical affinity between IL and membrane, as concluded from various offline methods such as FTIR, CA, LEP, and FESEM.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yu Ping Su, Lee Nuang Sim, Hans G. L. Coster, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: Incorporating BaTiO3 nanoparticles into PVDF membranes can enhance their piezoelectric and mechanical properties, reduce fouling, and prolong membrane operation.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Wee Koo, Jia Shin Ho, Yong Zen Tan, Wen See Tan, Jia An, Yi Zhang, Chee Kai Chua, Tzyy Haur Chong
Summary: Feed spacers are essential for controlling membrane fouling in spiral wound reverse osmosis modules. Novel sinusoidal spacers with wavy axial filaments and perpendicular or slanted transverse filaments showed promising results in reducing membrane permeability decrease. Further optimizations are needed to reduce channel pressure loss.
Article
Biology
Syeda Javariya Khalid, Quratul Ain, Sher Jamal Khan, Amna Jalil, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Tahir Ahmad, Malik Badshah, Fazal Adnan
Summary: Finding novel biological strategies to mitigate bacterial biofilms is crucial for combating bacterial infections as biofilm-forming bacteria are highly resistant to antibiotics. This study investigated the potential of quorum quenching (QQ) enzymes, which interfere with the quorum sensing (QS) mechanism, to mitigate biofilms. Bacterial strains with QQ activity were identified and tested against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results showed that certain QQ strains were able to reduce biofilm formation by up to 60%. The presence of AHL-degrading enzymes was confirmed, providing insights into the mechanism of biofilm mitigation.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Abdolvahed Noori, Hyeok Kim, Myung Hee Kim, Keumyong Kim, Kibaek Lee, Hyun-Suk Oh
Summary: This study isolated quorum quenching strains from activated sludge used to treat industrial wastewater containing toxic substances, which effectively degraded bacterial communication signals and reduced membrane biofouling in the presence of toxic compounds like TMAH.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sojin Min, Hosung Lee, Dowon Chae, Jeongwon Park, Sang H. Lee, Hyun-Suk Oh, Kibaek Lee, Chung-Hak Lee, Soryong Chae, Pyung-Kyu Park
Summary: Bacterial quorum quenching (QQ) is an effective strategy for controlling biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs), but the QQ efficiency is severely reduced in MBRs operated at low temperatures. BH4-L, prepared using a modified culture method, showed enhanced QQ efficiency at low temperatures. Application of BH4-L-entrapping beads to lab-scale MBRs operated at low temperatures successfully mitigated membrane biofouling.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatti, Mahnoor Syed, Farhana Maqbool, Yang-Guo Zhao, Xu Ying, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Qaisar Mahmood
Summary: This study investigated the potential use of different concentrations of molasses wastewater in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for bioelectricity production and reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The results showed that an MFC with a molasses concentration of 5 g L-1 exhibited more efficient power generation compared to acetate, while the COD removal efficiency was similar for both molasses and acetate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Purevdash Tsend Ayush, Je-Hyeon Ko, Hyun-Suk Oh
Summary: This study explores the factors influencing biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces and finds that density and surface characteristics of microplastics are key factors. Biofilm formation on plastics with similar density to water shows significant differences based on surface characteristics, while biofilm formation on plastics with higher density is heavily influenced by particle movement.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Irfan Haider, Ihsan Ullah, Sajjad Ullah Khan, Iqbal Munir, Aisha Mateen, Naser AL-Kenani, Bassam Oudh Al Johny, Yasir Anwar, Habeeb M. Al-Solami, Torki M. Alahmadi, Nadiah Alsulami, Ali Zari, Khalid M. S. Alghamdi, Abdullah Obaid M. Alharbi, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Ijaz Naeem
Summary: In this study, researchers focused on the ability of plant endophytic bacteria to improve plant responses to various stresses. Bacteria were isolated from the SWAT-1 rice variety and characterized biochemically and morphologically. The study found that these endophytic bacteria can enhance plant growth, increase the uptake of cadmium, and exhibit antimicrobial activity. The findings suggest that these isolates have the potential to be used as biocontrol agents and biofertilizers.
JOURNAL OF KING SAUD UNIVERSITY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zahidullah, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Shamas Tabraiz, Farhana Maqbool, Fazal Adnan, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Ajmal Shah, Waqar Azeem Jadoon, Tariq Mehmood, Sadia Qayyum, Ziaur Rahman
Summary: The study focused on the antimicrobial, biofilm formation, and biofilm dispersal potential of rhamnolipids (RLs). It was found that RLs can reduce bacterial growth and biofilm formation, while exhibiting substantial dispersal effects on preformed biofilms. The results suggest that RLs have the potential to control and disperse membrane biofouling.
