Regular articleRapid formation of biofilm grown on gas-permeable membrane induced by famine incubation

- Rapid formation of biofilm grown on gas-permeable membrane by famine incubation.
- Biofilm formation rate strongly correlated with EPS component and bindability.
- Famine incubation improved surface characteristics of biofilm-EPS matrix.

A new approach to rapidly initiate biofilm induced by famine incubation was developed in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR). The correlation between extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) component, surface physiochemical properties of biofilm, and biofilm formation rate was evaluated. The results indicated that famine incubation appeared to stimulate bacteria to secrete more bound EPS and resulted in improvement in surface properties of cells in the culture favoring the accumulation of biofilm flocs onto the membrane surface. High contents of bound EPS and bound protein along with the reduced surface charges enhanced hydrophobicity of bacteria. Biofilm formation rate strongly correlated with EPS component and bindability rather than the concentration of total EPS. The study suggested that famine incubation may provide an alternative tool to initiate the rapid formation of biofilm by regulating the component and surface characteristics of biofilm-EPS matrix, which enhanced the efficacy of membrane-aerated biofilm (MAB) for high-rate organic carbonaceous pollutant biodegradation, volatile organic pollutant removal, and nitrification/denitrification processes.