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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Waste Water Derived Electroactive Microbial Biofilms: Growth, Maintenance, and Basic Characterization
Published on: December 29, 2013
Control and cleaning of membrane biofouling by energy uncoupling and cellular communication
1Division of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Abstract:
This study investigated possible biological control of membrane biofouling and membrane cleaning by disrupting energy metabolism of microorganisms. Results showed that 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a typical uncoupler, could not only significantly inhibit membrane biofouling but also enhance biofilm detachment from nylon membrane. Inhibited ATP synthesis by a chemical uncoupler resulted in lowered production of autoinducer-2 (AI-2). The standard dead-end microfiltration tests further confirmed that the reduced AI-2 was positively correlated to the reduced fouling resistance of nylon membranes. It appears that inhibition of energy metabolism would be a promising alternative for control and cleaning of membrane biofouling.
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