Non-invasive detection of thin biofilm
Mentor 1
Marcia Silva
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
5-4-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 3:30 PM
Description
Salmonella, Escherichia. coli (E. coli), and Shigella are examples of bacterial pathogens that can enter the body through drinking water. Detection of bacterial growth and biofilm in a water pipes are pertinent to avoiding such bacterial infections. Current solutions to this problem include introducing a chemical to attract the bacteria to a single point to be detected and implementing optical transceivers. We have designed a black box sensing methodology to actively detect and record biofilm growth in water through non-invasive means. The response of the system is measured and recorded to determine the amount of biofilm growth within the sample. This system was tested using samples of Poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (polyHEMA) to simulate biofilm in addition to contained samples of E. coli. The tests involved recording the change in the system’s response to preset deposits of polyHEMA as well as the system’s response to the growth of E. coli in its container over time. The non-invasive nature of its implementation as well as its ability to actively collect data gives this system an advantage over the current solutions.
Non-invasive detection of thin biofilm
Union Wisconsin Room
Salmonella, Escherichia. coli (E. coli), and Shigella are examples of bacterial pathogens that can enter the body through drinking water. Detection of bacterial growth and biofilm in a water pipes are pertinent to avoiding such bacterial infections. Current solutions to this problem include introducing a chemical to attract the bacteria to a single point to be detected and implementing optical transceivers. We have designed a black box sensing methodology to actively detect and record biofilm growth in water through non-invasive means. The response of the system is measured and recorded to determine the amount of biofilm growth within the sample. This system was tested using samples of Poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (polyHEMA) to simulate biofilm in addition to contained samples of E. coli. The tests involved recording the change in the system’s response to preset deposits of polyHEMA as well as the system’s response to the growth of E. coli in its container over time. The non-invasive nature of its implementation as well as its ability to actively collect data gives this system an advantage over the current solutions.
