Antifouling potential of enzymes applied to reverse osmosis membranes
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Antifouling potential of enzymes applied to reverse osmosis membranes. / Khani, Mojtaba; Hansen, Mads Frederik; Knøchel, Susanne; Rasekh, Behnam; Ghasemipanah, Karim; Zamir, Seyed Morteza; Nosrati, Mohsen; Burmølle, Mette.
In: Biofilm, Vol. 5, 100119, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Antifouling potential of enzymes applied to reverse osmosis membranes
AU - Khani, Mojtaba
AU - Hansen, Mads Frederik
AU - Knøchel, Susanne
AU - Rasekh, Behnam
AU - Ghasemipanah, Karim
AU - Zamir, Seyed Morteza
AU - Nosrati, Mohsen
AU - Burmølle, Mette
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Many companies in the food industry apply reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to ensure high-quality reuse of water. Biofouling is however, a common, recalcitrant and recurring problem that blocks transport over membranes and decreases the water recovery. Microorganisms adhering to membranes may form biofilm and produce an extracellular matrix, which protects against external stress and ensures continuous attachment. Thus, various agents are tested for their ability to degrade and disperse biofilms. Here, we identified industrially relevant bacterial model communities that form biofilms on RO membranes used for treating process water before reuse. There was a marked difference in the biofilm forming capabilities of bacteria isolated from contaminated RO membranes. One species, Raoultella ornithinolytica, was particularly capable of forming biofilm and was included in most communities. The potential of different enzymes (Trypsin-EDTA, Proteinase K, α-Amylase, β-Mannosidase and Alginate lyase) as biofouling dispersing agents was evaluated at different concentrations (0.05 U/ml and 1.28 U/ml). Among the tested enzymes, β-Mannosidase was the only enzyme able to reduce biofilm formation significantly within 4 h of exposure at 25 °C (0.284 log reduction), and only at the high concentration. Longer exposure duration, however, resulted in significant biofilm reduction by all enzymes tested (0.459–0.717 log reduction) at both low and high concentrations. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we quantified the biovolume on RO membranes after treatment with two different enzyme mixtures. The application of proteinase K and β-Mannosidase significantly reduced the amount of attached biomass (43% reduction), and the combination of all five enzymes showed even stronger reducing effect (71% reduction). Overall, this study demonstrates a potential treatment strategy, using matrix-degrading enzymes for biofouled RO membranes in food processing water treatment streams. Future studies on optimization of buffer systems, temperature and other factors could facilitate cleaning operations based on enzymatic treatment extending the lifespan of membranes with a continuous flux.
AB - Many companies in the food industry apply reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to ensure high-quality reuse of water. Biofouling is however, a common, recalcitrant and recurring problem that blocks transport over membranes and decreases the water recovery. Microorganisms adhering to membranes may form biofilm and produce an extracellular matrix, which protects against external stress and ensures continuous attachment. Thus, various agents are tested for their ability to degrade and disperse biofilms. Here, we identified industrially relevant bacterial model communities that form biofilms on RO membranes used for treating process water before reuse. There was a marked difference in the biofilm forming capabilities of bacteria isolated from contaminated RO membranes. One species, Raoultella ornithinolytica, was particularly capable of forming biofilm and was included in most communities. The potential of different enzymes (Trypsin-EDTA, Proteinase K, α-Amylase, β-Mannosidase and Alginate lyase) as biofouling dispersing agents was evaluated at different concentrations (0.05 U/ml and 1.28 U/ml). Among the tested enzymes, β-Mannosidase was the only enzyme able to reduce biofilm formation significantly within 4 h of exposure at 25 °C (0.284 log reduction), and only at the high concentration. Longer exposure duration, however, resulted in significant biofilm reduction by all enzymes tested (0.459–0.717 log reduction) at both low and high concentrations. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we quantified the biovolume on RO membranes after treatment with two different enzyme mixtures. The application of proteinase K and β-Mannosidase significantly reduced the amount of attached biomass (43% reduction), and the combination of all five enzymes showed even stronger reducing effect (71% reduction). Overall, this study demonstrates a potential treatment strategy, using matrix-degrading enzymes for biofouled RO membranes in food processing water treatment streams. Future studies on optimization of buffer systems, temperature and other factors could facilitate cleaning operations based on enzymatic treatment extending the lifespan of membranes with a continuous flux.
KW - Biofilm formation
KW - Biofouling
KW - Confocal laser scanning microscopy
KW - Enzymes
KW - Reverse Osmosis Membrane
KW - Water recovery
U2 - 10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100119
DO - 10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100119
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37131492
AN - SCOPUS:85153081225
VL - 5
JO - Biofilm
JF - Biofilm
SN - 2590-2075
M1 - 100119
ER -
ID: 345516041