In this study, we developed a 2-dimensional mathematical model to predict cellular metabolism and uranium (U) immobilization in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilms. The model considered a biofilm which was comprised of cells and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the contribution of each component was considered in U immobilization. U is immobilized by reduction and adsorption in both the cells and the EPS. Cellular metabolism and U immobilization kinetics were experimentally investigated and included in the model. COMSOL� integrated with MATLAB� was used for numerical analysis and data interpretation. The input variables were biomass density, EPS fraction, kinetic parameters, and U, electron donor, and electron accepter concentrations. The model was calibrated using the experimental data. Our model result demonstrated that U detrimentally affects cellular metabolism and preferentially binds to specific locations in the biofilm.

Modeling of cellular metabolism and uranium immobilization in biofilms

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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