Biofilm-Nutrient Dynamics
An Analysis of the Active Layer Depth in Biofilm-Nutrient Dynamics
We consider a simple one dimensional system to model the growth of single microbial species in a nutrient rich environment, which is growing by consuming the nutrient. The microbial species occupies the biofilm region which is separated by an interface from the bulk-liquid region which has a high nutrient concentration. The nutrient also diffuses across the interface in a region called the active layer depth, which is where most of the biofilm growth activity takes place; as the biofilm grows, the interface moves and the species push into the bulk-liquid region. We primarily study the biofilm-nutrient model, the velocity of the interface separating the biofilm and the bulk liquid region and its relation to the active layer depth.
- Klapper, Dockery,Finger formation in biofilm layers, 2002