Electromagnetic fields for biofouling mitigation in reclaimed water distribution systems.

Water research · 2020 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 5653

EMF treatment significantly altered bacterial community composition and reduced diversity in biofilms, and network analysis suggested disrupted mutualistic co-occurrence patterns. EMF treatment inhibited biofilm formation (decreased total biomass and EPS) and…

Study snapshot

PublicationWater research · 2020

Study typeother

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Biofouling is ubiquitous in reclaimed water distribution systems and causes various industrial, economic, and health issues. This paper investigated the anti-biofouling efficacy of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for agricultural emitters used for two types of reclaimed water. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and X-ray diffraction were applied to determine the microbial communities and mineral compositions in biofilms. The obtained results revealed that EMF treatment significantly changed the bacterial communities and reduced their diversities in biofilm by affecting water quality parameters. Network analysis results indicated that EMFs were detrimental to the co-occurrence patterns of mutualistic relationships among bacterial species, destroyed the connectivity and complexity of the networks, and inhibited biofilm formation [decreased total biomass and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content]. EMF treatment could also decrease the deposition of mineral precipitates, reducing the carbonate and silicate content in biofilm. The decrease of EPS content appeared to reduce biofilm-induced mineral crystallization, while the ion precipitations accelerated by EMFs caused an erosive effect on biofilm. The results demonstrated that EMF treatment is an effective, chemical-free, and anti-biofouling treatment method with great potential for biofouling control in reclaimed water distribution systems.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeother

Effect directionbenefit

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureNot supplied

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Biofilm formation (total biomass)
Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content
Bacterial community composition and diversity (16S rRNA sequencing)
Microbial co-occurrence network connectivity/complexity
Mineral precipitate deposition and composition (carbonate and silicate content)
Water quality parameters (as mediators/affected parameters)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "agricultural emitters in reclaimed water distribution systems",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Biofilm formation (total biomass)",
    "Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content",
    "Bacterial community composition and diversity (16S rRNA sequencing)",
    "Microbial co-occurrence network connectivity/complexity",
    "Mineral precipitate deposition and composition (carbonate and silicate content)",
    "Water quality parameters (as mediators/affected parameters)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "EMF treatment significantly altered bacterial community composition and reduced diversity in biofilms, and network analysis suggested disrupted mutualistic co-occurrence patterns. EMF treatment inhibited biofilm formation (decreased total biomass and EPS) and decreased mineral precipitate deposition, including reduced carbonate and silicate content in biofilm.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "EMF treatment",
    "biofouling mitigation",
    "reclaimed water distribution systems",
    "agricultural emitters",
    "biofilm",
    "16S rRNA gene sequencing",
    "X-ray diffraction",
    "extracellular polymeric substances",
    "mineral precipitation",
    "microbial networks"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115562
PubMed: 32044595

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