The Use of the New Quorum Quenching Isolate of Bordetella hinzii S3 to Prevent Biofouling in Membrane Bioreactor Systems

Abstract

According to the findings of previous research, membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, which is regarded as an effective alternative to advanced wastewater treatment, can cause biofouling. Biofouling results from the formation of a bacterial growth-sourced biofilm that relies on a form of bacterial communication that is referred to as quorum sensing (QS). To this end, recent quorum quenching (QQ) research studies have attempted to interfere with this bacterial communication to prevent the formation of the biofilms that cause biofouling in MBR systems. As a result of the successful results that have been obtained from the bacterial QQ applications that employ enzymatic QQ applications, the need to isolate new QQ bacteria has increased with time. This study isolated five different QQ bacteria from the soil and leachate of a municipal solid waste landfill. Since Bordetella hinzii S3 showed the highest QQ activity of all isolates, this species was immobilized into sodium alginate beads, which were subsequently tested. The research findings indicate that B. hinzii S3 may be capable of preventing the formation of biofilm on membrane surfaces during short- and long-term MBR operations.