Biosensors Continuous monitoring of water biofilm
Innovate, Incubate, Industrialize
Industry 4.0
real time bacteria detection solution
Biofilm phenomenon - the bacterial growth on internal surfaces of pipes and tanks in contact with water and other liquids - is a major problem in many industry applications as it represents the ideal environment for the survival and growth of pathogens.
Our 24x7 digital online-monitoring solution allows to effectively prevent the biofilm growth: our technology exploits the natural aquatic biochemical activity (BES – Biological Electrochemical Signal) directly indicating the surface area covered with bacteria.
biofilm
It is a thin but a robust layer of mucilage adhering to a solid surface and containing a community of bacteria and other microorganizms.
A biofilm comprises any syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface.
These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substance
Planktonic cells
Free floating bacteria in liquid represents less than 10% of all bacteria in the piping system
- Reversible Attachment Attachment of bacteria to surface
- Irreversible Attachment Formation of layer and production of matrix, forming of EPS -Extracellular polymeric substances
- Growth Microcolony formation, multilayer
- Maturation Microcolony, mature biofilm with characteristic mushroom formed of polysaccharide
- Dispersal Detachment and reversion to platonic growth, starting the new cycle
biofilm
It is a thin but a robust layer of mucilage adhering to a solid surface and containing a community of bacteria and other microorganizms.
Planktonic cells
Free floating bacteria in liquid represents less than 10% of all bacteria in the piping system
A biofilm comprises any syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface.
These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substance
Reversible Attachment
Attachment of
bacteria to
surface
Irreversible Attachment
Formation of layer
and production of
matrix, forming of
EPS -Extracellular
polymeric
substances
Growth
Microcolony
formation, multilayer
Maturation
Microcolony, mature
biofilm with
characteristic
mushroom formed of
polysaccharide
Dispersal
Detachment and
reversion to platonic
growth, starting the
new cycle
Bacterial biofilm development in fluid environment causes corrosion, equipment failure, energy loss, reduced performance, increased energy consumption and resistance to antimicrobial treatments.
Problems caused by biofilm can lead to pipe blockage and plant idle.
Sanitation treatments should be applied as soon as biofilm starts to grow, since it is much more difficult and expensive to kill a mature biofilm since it has a thicker EPS matrix, thus it is much more resistant than an early- stage one.
When biofilm is mature, its outermost layers tend to detach and float away. This increases the likelihood of biofilm training in other areas of the plant. Standard laboratory analysis and bacteria detection kits present many limitations like being time consuming and un-representative of the real abundance of bacteria since most bacteria live in biofilm and not free in the fluid – less than 1% of the bacteria present in the sample will grow in lab conditions.
It is therefore important to immediately contrast biofilm formation so to minimize the risk of dangerous bacterial contamination.
biofilm industry applications
Our system offers a fast ROI, with potential returns of up to 100% in just one month for industrial plants, 100% in one week for Food & Beverage production plants, and a daily ROI of 100% for power plants affected by biofilm growth.
The technology enables significant reduction in chemical usage, ensures microbiological safety, prevents customer complaints, and improves heat-exchange efficiency, ultimately boosting power production by up to 30%.
- Food production
- Soft drink production
- Water Distribution Networks
- Mineral water bottling
- Legionella prevention
- Power plant water treatment
- Cooling tower water treatment
- Cooling towers and bacteria
- Once-through cooling systems
- Industrial reverse osmosis
- Reverse osmosis desalination
- Pulp and paper
- Biogas upgrading plants
4 types of biofilm sensors for different applications
Our sensors monitor the bio-electrochemical signal produced by bacteria. This signal is directly linked to the biological activity of bacteria, and it is proportional to the surface area covered by biofilm. Therefore, the system monitors just living bacteria, not other kinds of fouling (e.g. mineral deposit, fats, proteins, etc.).
A Biofilm Monitoring System includes one or more sensors, connected to a data acquisition system (PLC, DCS, PC, etc.) through the standard communication protocols like RS485 MODBUS and 4-20 mA.
A001S3 probe, for highly corrosive environments, moderate heat and chemical resistance.
AS01S3 andAS11S3 (with clamp connection), with hygienic connection to the process, flat surface in contact with the liquid and high resistance to chemical treatments, this model is indicated for applications where hygiene is critical.
AX03S3, ATEX certified, this model is indicated for classified areas and applications where there is a risk of explosion (e.g. Oil&Gas).
Industry
solutions
From idea validation and designing the customer journey to solution testing and piloting and managing the successful scaling, we provide comprehensive IoT service design portfolio. Our team of experts employs design thinking and value proposition design methodologies to ensure that every aspect of the solution is aligned with the customers' needs and expectations.
