Monitoring Contaminant Impact on Biofilm Adaptation with Raman Spectroscopy

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Project Period: 
2009
Project Investigator(s): 
T. Peeples and J. Jessop, Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa
Abstract: 

The integration of biofilm flow devices with Raman scattering for bioanalysis and separation is a promising avenue to provide further information regarding complex mixtures of microbes and their adaptive mechanisms that facilitate contaminant biodegradation. To address the acquisition and induction of biotransformation activity, the first hypothesis is that Raman scattering can be used to identify and quantify members of biofilm communities. The second hypothesis is that biofilm formation leads to enhanced levels of atrazine degradation. The formation of biofilm can be evaluated using fluorescence and Raman techniques. Raman scattering can be used to evaluate the persistence of the model contaminant atrazine and metabolites in the flow systems. We expect to advance our mechanistic knowledge of induction in atrazine-mineralizing bacteria adapting to atrazine as a growth substrate. This project is therefore significant because improved bioremediation technologies will lead to reduced environmental contamination and reduce the associated risk to human health.

Publications: 

Henry VA, Jessop JL, Peeples TL. Differentiating Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP cells in suspensions and biofilms using Ramen spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2017; 409:1441-1449.