Engineering Commons^™

Method For Synchrotron X-Ray Computed Tomographic Imaging Of Biofilms In Porous Media, Corey Matthew Klibert

LSU Master's Theses

Modeling of biofilms in porous media at pore scale resolution has been hindered by the lack of available experimental techniques to non-destructively image biofilm structure at these resolutions. Researchers have relied upon simulation rather than experimentation to produce pore-scale biofilm models, using simplifying assumptions governing microbial growth such as Monod kinetics and random biofilm seeding locations to generate biofilms in simulated environments. This study investigated the use of absorption-edge synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography (SXCMT) in combination with a contrast agent, Lugol’s iodine solution (10% KI/5% I2), to nondestructively obtain three-dimensional images of biofilms at pore-scale resolution. The study examined and …