The “flow and mechanics” group aim to further our understanding of interactions between micro-organisms (either single cells or larger agglomerates of these) and fluid flows. This work will integrate with the other disciplines to form a design tool for large scale biological systems, such as a wastewater treatment plant. We will consider transport of microbes within the fluid flow, their deposition on surfaces resulting in the formation of bio-films, the influence of flow on the growth, shape and break-up of the bio-film, and movement of nutrients and other chemicals.
Understanding how bio-films form and grow, and how this development is influenced by the flow is one of the main themes of the research. We will combine experimental work with mathematical modelling at a range of scales to capture the combined physical, chemical and biological processes driving bio-film development, and the performance of these models will be assessed through an extensive programme of computational study, benchmarked against data from both laboratory and pilot-plant tests.
Objectives: