Drinking water biofilm assessment of total and culturable bacteria under different operating conditions

Monitoring of biofilms subjected to different operating conditions was performed using a flow cell system. The system was fed by chlorine-free tap water, with and without added nutrients (0.5 mg l(-1) carbon, 0.1 mg l(-1) nitrogen and 0.01 mg l(-1) phosphorus), and biofilms were grown on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and stainless steel (SS) coupons, both in laminar and turbulent flow. The parameters analysed were culturable cells, using R2A, and total bacteria, which was assessed using the 4,6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining method. The impact of the different operating conditions in the studied parameters was established using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). From the most relevant to the least relevant factor, the total and culturable bacteria in biofilms increased due to the addition of nutrients to water (F = 20.005; p < 0.001); the use of turbulent (Re = 11000) instead of laminar (Re = 2000) hydrodynamic flows (F = 9.173; p < 0.001); and the use of PVC instead of SS as the support material (F = 2.848; p = 0.060). Interactions between these conditions, namely between surface and flow (F = 8.235; p < 0.001) and also flow and nutrients (F = 5.498; p < 0.05) have also proved to significantly influence biofilm formation. This work highlights the need for a deeper understanding of how the large spectrum of conditions interact and affect biofilm formation potential and accumulation with the final purpose of predicting the total and culturable bacteria attached to real drinking water distribution pipes based on the system characteristics.