Engineering Commons^™

Biofilm Removal Using Bubbles And Sound, Michael R. Parini

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria in biofilms adhere well to surfaces and are quite difficult to remove. Oral plaque is one example of a biofilm. Many researchers have studied ways to remove plaque and bacteria from surfaces. It has been found that the passage of a bubble across a surface to which bacteria has adhered can remove the bacteria from the surface. Biofilms of Streptococcus mutans were grown on glass coverslips as a simple model for oral plaque. The coverslips were mounted in a Plexiglas chamber filled with artificial saliva. A bubble stream was directed at the mounted biofilm. The velocity, gas fraction, median …