Modelling on the effect of diffusive and convective substrate transport for biofilm
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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Combining Fluidic Devices with Microscopy and Flow Cytometry to Study Microbial Transport in Porous Media Across Spatial Scales
Published on: November 25, 2020
Nazira Khabibor Rahman1, Mohamad Zailani Abu Bakar, Mohamad Hekarl Uzir
1School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Campus, University Science Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia.
Abstract:
A one-dimensional biofilm model was developed based on the basic principle of conservation of mass. Three simple, generic processes were combined in the model which includes microbial growth, diffusive and convective mass transport. The final model could generate a quantitative description of the relationship between the microbial growth and the consumption of substrate (oxygen) within the fixed biofilm thickness. Mass transfer resistance contributes large influence on the substrates and microbial concentration across the biofilm thickness due to the effect of biofilm structure.
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