Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Biofilms01:29

Biofilms

Biofilms are complex communities of microorganisms encased in a self-produced extracellular polysaccharide matrix attached to surfaces. These microbial consortia can include single or multiple species, providing enhanced survival benefits by forming organized, multilayered structures.The formation of biofilms occurs through four key stages: attachment, colonization, development, and dispersal.During attachment, free-swimming planktonic cells adhere to a surface, often facilitated by...
The Phosphorus Cycle01:21

The Phosphorus Cycle

Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, phosphorus is not present in the atmosphere as a gas. Instead, most phosphorus in the ecosystem exists as compounds, such as phosphate ions (PO43-), found in soil, water, sediment and rocks. Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient (i.e., in short supply). Consequently, phosphorus is added to most agricultural fertilizers, which can cause environmental problems related to runoff in aquatic ecosystems.
Factors Affecting Solubility04:01

Factors Affecting Solubility

Compared with pure water, the solubility of an ionic compound is less in aqueous solutions containing a common ion (one also produced by dissolution of the ionic compound). This is an example of a phenomenon known as the common ion effect, which is a consequence of the law of mass action that may be explained using Le Chȃtelier’s principle. Consider the dissolution of silver iodide:
Microbial Wastewater Treatment01:30

Microbial Wastewater Treatment

Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
Bioreactor Controls-I01:28

Bioreactor Controls-I

Maintaining optimal conditions within fermenters is essential for maximizing microbial productivity and ensuring process efficiency. This lesson focuses on key parameters—temperature, foam, pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and pressure—and their precise measurement and control strategies in fermentation systems.Temperature ControlTemperature regulation is critical due to the exothermic nature of many fermentation processes. In small laboratory fermenters, temperature is commonly monitored using...
Phosphate Buffer01:22

Phosphate Buffer

The phosphate buffer system is a critical biological mechanism for maintaining pH stability in the body. This system operates primarily through two components: sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4), which acts as a weak acid, and sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4), which serves as a weak base.
Sodium dihydrogen phosphate does not fully dissociate in neutral or acidic solutions. When a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is introduced into the solution, sodium dihydrogen phosphate...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Insights into host dependency from a chemically defined medium for the human vaginal bacterium Lactobacillus crispatus.

Archives of microbiology·2025
Same author

Role of Resistive Index to Differentiate between Prerenal Acute Kidney Injury and Acute Tubular Necrosis.

Mymensingh medical journal : MMJ·2025
Same author

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness reflects characteristics of brain grey and white matter.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Robust magnetic vivianite recovery from digested sewage sludge: Evaluating resilience to sludge dry matter and particle size variations.

Water research·2024
Same author

Impact of the anaerobic feeding mode on substrate distribution in aerobic granular sludge.

Water research·2023
Same author

Influence of environmental conditions on accumulated polyhydroxybutyrate in municipal activated sludge.

Water research·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Optimized Procedure for Determining the Adsorption of Phosphonates onto Granular Ferric Hydroxide using a Miniaturized Phosphorus Determination Method
08:21

Optimized Procedure for Determining the Adsorption of Phosphonates onto Granular Ferric Hydroxide using a Miniaturized Phosphorus Determination Method

Published on: May 18, 2018

Phosphate limitation to control biofouling.

J S Vrouwenvelder1, F Beyer, K Dahmani

  • 1Wetsus, Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Agora 1, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. Hans.Vrouwenvelder@wetsus.nl

Water Research
|April 17, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Phosphate limitation effectively controls biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) membranes by restricting biomass growth, even with high organic carbon. Careful antiscalant selection is crucial for preventing biofouling in RO systems.

More Related Videos

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors
10:17

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors

Published on: October 9, 2016

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
10:49

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading

Published on: March 6, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Optimized Procedure for Determining the Adsorption of Phosphonates onto Granular Ferric Hydroxide using a Miniaturized Phosphorus Determination Method
08:21

Optimized Procedure for Determining the Adsorption of Phosphonates onto Granular Ferric Hydroxide using a Miniaturized Phosphorus Determination Method

Published on: May 18, 2018

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors
10:17

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors

Published on: October 9, 2016

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
10:49

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading

Published on: March 6, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Water Treatment Technology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Biofouling is a significant challenge in spiral wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems, leading to increased operational costs and reduced efficiency.
  • High biomass concentrations and pressure drop increases are often observed in RO installations with less pretreated feed water, linked to higher phosphate levels.
  • Phosphate's role in microbial growth suggests it could be a target for biofouling control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate phosphate limitation as a method for controlling biofouling in full-scale reverse osmosis (RO) membrane installations.
  • To evaluate the impact of low phosphate concentrations on biomass accumulation and pressure drop in RO systems.
  • To determine the influence of antiscalant selection on biofouling under phosphate-limiting conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Studied a full-scale reverse osmosis (RO) installation with extensively pretreated water characterized by low feed channel pressure drop and biomass.
  • Utilized a membrane fouling simulator (MFS) to test biofouling under controlled low phosphate concentrations (approx. 0.3 microg P L(-1)) and high organic carbon.
  • Compared the effects of phosphonate-based, phosphonate-free, and acid-based antiscalants on biofouling under ortho-phosphate limiting conditions.

Main Results:

  • Low phosphate concentrations significantly restricted pressure drop increase and biomass accumulation in RO systems, even with high organic carbon levels.
  • In MFS studies, phosphonate-based antiscalants induced biofouling under low phosphate conditions, unlike phosphonate-free or acid-based alternatives.
  • Antiscalant addition was observed to potentially increase both phosphate and substrate concentrations in the feed water.

Conclusions:

  • Phosphate limitation is a feasible strategy for controlling biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, even in the presence of high organic carbon.
  • Antiscalant selection is critical for biofouling control, as certain types can exacerbate the problem under low phosphate conditions.
  • Managing phosphate levels in feed water offers a promising approach to mitigate biofouling and maintain RO system performance.