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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...
Microbial Mats01:25

Microbial Mats

Microbial communities forming biofilms and mats represent complex, spatially structured ecosystems where metabolic processes are stratified according to light, oxygen, and nutrient gradients. Biofilms are initial colonization stages, only a few millimeters thick, while mature microbial mats can reach centimeter-scale thickness and display intricate vertical organization. Their structural and functional heterogeneity allows microorganisms to occupy distinct ecological niches within a few...
Bioreactor Controls-II01:18

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In aerobic fermentations, oxygen is vital for microbial growth and metabolite production. Since air comprises only about 20% oxygen and the gas is poorly soluble in water—just 9 ppm at 20°C—supplying sufficient oxygen becomes a critical challenge, especially in high-demand processes like yeast growth or citric acid production. Even a fully saturated broth may offer only a few seconds of oxygen availability.To address this, sterile or scrubbed air is introduced into the fermentor via a sparger...
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Characterizing Electron Transport through Living Biofilms
08:52

Characterizing Electron Transport through Living Biofilms

Published on: June 1, 2018

DIFFUSION IN BIOFILMS RESPIRING ON ELECTRODES.

Rs Renslow1, Jt Babauta, Pd Majors

  • 1The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.

Energy & Environmental Science
|February 20, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Effective diffusion coefficients (D(e)) in electrochemically active biofilms were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance. Biofilm density significantly impacts electron transfer, with denser Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms showing lower D(e) than Shewanella oneidensis biofilms.

Keywords:
GeobacterShewanellabiofilmdiffusiondiffusion coefficientdiffusivityelectrochemically activeelectron transfermagnetic resonancemodeling

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Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity

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Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity
09:21

Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity

Published on: March 11, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Electrochemistry
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Electrically active biofilms facilitate extracellular electron transfer (EET) crucial for biogeochemical cycles and bioenergy applications.
  • Understanding electron transport dynamics within biofilms is key to optimizing their function.
  • Previous studies lacked in situ, high-resolution measurements of diffusion within living, respiring biofilms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To spatially and temporally resolve effective diffusion coefficients (D(e)) in model electrochemically active biofilms.
  • To investigate the influence of biofilm density and metabolic activity on D(e).
  • To compare D(e) in Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilms respiring on electrodes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a novel nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) microimaging perfusion probe.
  • Integrated simultaneous electrochemical measurements with pulsed-field gradient NMR (PFG-NMR).
  • Performed noninvasive, nondestructive in situ D(e) measurements on living biofilms respiring on polarized electrodes.

Main Results:

  • Effective diffusion coefficients (D(e)) were mapped in 2D and analyzed as depth profiles (D(rs)).
  • D(rs) decreased with depth in G. sulfurreducens biofilms, exhibiting a sigmoid shape.
  • D(rs) decreased with biofilm age in G. sulfurreducens and was lower than in S. oneidensis biofilms.
  • G. sulfurreducens biofilms were ~10 times denser than S. oneidensis biofilms.
  • Halting respiration in G. sulfurreducens biofilms reduced D(e) values.

Conclusions:

  • Biofilm density is a critical factor influencing extracellular electron transfer strategies.
  • Metabolic state (respiration) directly affects effective diffusion within biofilms.
  • PFG-NMR is a powerful tool for in situ characterization of transport phenomena in living microbial communities.