Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks

Bolivar, Jaime Gomez; Warburton, Martin; Mumford, Adam; Mujica-Alarcón, Juan F.; Anguilano, Lorna; Onwukwe, Uchechukwu; Barnes, James; Chronopoulou, Myrsini; Ju-Nam, Yon; Thornton, Steven F.; Rolfe, Stephen A.; Ledo, Jesus Ojeda

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02803

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Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks

Jaime Gomez Bolivar, Martin Warburton, Adam Mumford, Juan F. Mujica-Alarcón, Lorna Anguilano, Uchechukwu Onwukwe, James Barnes, Myrsini Chronopoulou

, Yon Ju-Nam

, Steven F. Thornton, Stephen A. Rolfe

, Jesus Ojeda Ledo

Langmuir, Volume: 40, Issue: 7, Pages: 3429 - 3439

Swansea University Authors: Jaime Gomez Bolivar, Martin Warburton, Adam Mumford, Yon Ju-Nam , Jesus Ojeda Ledo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02803

Abstract

Avoiding microbial contamination and biofilm formation on the surfaces of aircraft fuel tanks is a major challenge in the aviation industry. The inevitable presence of water in fuel systems, and nutrients provided by the fuel, makes an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and yeast to grow. Unders...

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Published in:	Langmuir
ISSN:	0743-7463 1520-5827
Published:	American Chemical Society (ACS) 2024
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URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65456
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The inevitable presence of water in fuel systems, and nutrients provided by the fuel, makes an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and yeast to grow. Understanding how microbes grow on different fuel tank materials is the first step to control biofilm formation in aviation fuel systems. In this study, biofilms of Pseudomonas putida, a model Gram-negative bacterium previously found in aircraft fuel tanks, were characterised on aluminium 7075-T6 surfaces, which is an alloy used by the aviation industry due to favourable properties including high strength and fatigue resistance. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) showed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by P. putida were important components of biofilms with a likely role in biofilm stability and adhesion to the surfaces. EDX analysis showed that the proportion of phosphorus with respect to nitrogen is higher in the EPS than in the bacterial cells. Additionally, different morphologies in biofilm formation were observed in the fuel phase compared to the water phase. Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) analysis suggested that phosphoryl and carboxyl functional groups are fundamental for the irreversible attachment between the EPS of bacteria and the aluminium surface, by the formation of hydrogen bonds and inner-sphere complexes between the macromolecules and the aluminium surface. Based on the hypothesis that nucleic acids (particularly DNA) are an important component of EPS in P. putida biofilms, the impact of degrading extracellular DNA was tested. Treatment with the enzyme DNase I affected both water and fuel phase biofilms – with the cell structure disrupted in the aqueous phase, but cells remained attached to the aluminium coupons.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Langmuir</journal><volume>40</volume><journalNumber>7</journalNumber><paginationStart>3429</paginationStart><paginationEnd>3439</paginationEnd><publisher>American Chemical Society (ACS)</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>0743-7463</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1520-5827</issnElectronic><keywords>Aluminum, Bacteria, Biofilms, Fuels, Genetics</keywords><publishedDay>20</publishedDay><publishedMonth>2</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2024</publishedYear><publishedDate>2024-02-20</publishedDate><doi>10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02803</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>This work was funded by InnovateUK and Airbus Operations Ltd., within the project “Fuel Architecture and Systems Technology (FAST)”, Project reference 113161 (TS/R008132/1). 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spelling	v2 65456 2024-01-17 Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks bdc88bfa31993e8c18c5933f0d91f369 Jaime Gomez Bolivar Jaime Gomez Bolivar true false b211ce4583f9d93bb461fd4c7ecc732a Martin Warburton Martin Warburton true false 65cb3dadba310d966d2494c03364df52 Adam Mumford Adam Mumford true false b219fdfea246d96dfc9c4eecfd60f2a6 0000-0003-2972-8073 Yon Ju-Nam Yon Ju-Nam true false 4c1c9800dffa623353dff0ab1271be64 0000-0002-2046-1010 Jesus Ojeda Ledo Jesus Ojeda Ledo true false 2024-01-17 Avoiding microbial contamination and biofilm formation on the surfaces of aircraft fuel tanks is a major challenge in the aviation industry. The inevitable presence of water in fuel systems, and nutrients provided by the fuel, makes an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and yeast to grow. Understanding how microbes grow on different fuel tank materials is the first step to control biofilm formation in aviation fuel systems. In this study, biofilms of Pseudomonas putida, a model Gram-negative bacterium previously found in aircraft fuel tanks, were characterised on aluminium 7075-T6 surfaces, which is an alloy used by the aviation industry due to favourable properties including high strength and fatigue resistance. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) showed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by P. putida were important components of biofilms with a likely role in biofilm stability and adhesion to the surfaces. EDX analysis showed that the proportion of phosphorus with respect to nitrogen is higher in the EPS than in the bacterial cells. Additionally, different morphologies in biofilm formation were observed in the fuel phase compared to the water phase. Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) analysis suggested that phosphoryl and carboxyl functional groups are fundamental for the irreversible attachment between the EPS of bacteria and the aluminium surface, by the formation of hydrogen bonds and inner-sphere complexes between the macromolecules and the aluminium surface. Based on the hypothesis that nucleic acids (particularly DNA) are an important component of EPS in P. putida biofilms, the impact of degrading extracellular DNA was tested. Treatment with the enzyme DNase I affected both water and fuel phase biofilms – with the cell structure disrupted in the aqueous phase, but cells remained attached to the aluminium coupons. Journal Article Langmuir 40 7 3429 3439 American Chemical Society (ACS) 0743-7463 1520-5827 Aluminum, Bacteria, Biofilms, Fuels, Genetics 20 2 2024 2024-02-20 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02803 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) This work was funded by InnovateUK and Airbus Operations Ltd., within the project “Fuel Architecture and Systems Technology (FAST)”, Project reference 113161 (TS/R008132/1). Adam Mumford acknowledges funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) DTP scholarship (project reference: 2748843). 2024-05-31T12:16:04.6556556 2024-01-17T23:07:56.2959845 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering Jaime Gomez Bolivar 1 Martin Warburton 2 Adam Mumford 3 Juan F. Mujica-Alarcón 4 Lorna Anguilano 5 Uchechukwu Onwukwe 6 James Barnes 7 Myrsini Chronopoulou 0000-0002-0701-0047 8 Yon Ju-Nam 0000-0003-2972-8073 9 Steven F. Thornton 10 Stephen A. Rolfe 0000-0003-2141-4707 11 Jesus Ojeda Ledo 0000-0002-2046-1010 12 65456__29772__b09a1520d0d84624a25ed7c271ca2a52.pdf 65456_VoR.pdf 2024-03-21T09:38:29.7818573 Output 3189465 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2024 The Authors. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
spellingShingle	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks Jaime Gomez Bolivar Martin Warburton Adam Mumford Yon Ju-Nam Jesus Ojeda Ledo
title_short	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
title_full	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
title_fullStr	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
title_full_unstemmed	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
title_sort	Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks
author_id_str_mv	bdc88bfa31993e8c18c5933f0d91f369 b211ce4583f9d93bb461fd4c7ecc732a 65cb3dadba310d966d2494c03364df52 b219fdfea246d96dfc9c4eecfd60f2a6 4c1c9800dffa623353dff0ab1271be64
author_id_fullname_str_mv	bdc88bfa31993e8c18c5933f0d91f369_*_Jaime Gomez Bolivar b211ce4583f9d93bb461fd4c7ecc732a__Martin Warburton 65cb3dadba310d966d2494c03364df52__Adam Mumford b219fdfea246d96dfc9c4eecfd60f2a6__Yon Ju-Nam 4c1c9800dffa623353dff0ab1271be64_**_Jesus Ojeda Ledo
author	Jaime Gomez Bolivar Martin Warburton Adam Mumford Yon Ju-Nam Jesus Ojeda Ledo
author2	Jaime Gomez Bolivar Martin Warburton Adam Mumford Juan F. Mujica-Alarcón Lorna Anguilano Uchechukwu Onwukwe James Barnes Myrsini Chronopoulou Yon Ju-Nam Steven F. Thornton Stephen A. Rolfe Jesus Ojeda Ledo
format	Journal article
container_title	Langmuir
container_volume	40
container_issue	7
container_start_page	3429
publishDate	2024
institution	Swansea University
issn	0743-7463 1520-5827
doi_str_mv	10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02803
publisher	American Chemical Society (ACS)
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
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department_str	School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering
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description	Avoiding microbial contamination and biofilm formation on the surfaces of aircraft fuel tanks is a major challenge in the aviation industry. The inevitable presence of water in fuel systems, and nutrients provided by the fuel, makes an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and yeast to grow. Understanding how microbes grow on different fuel tank materials is the first step to control biofilm formation in aviation fuel systems. In this study, biofilms of Pseudomonas putida, a model Gram-negative bacterium previously found in aircraft fuel tanks, were characterised on aluminium 7075-T6 surfaces, which is an alloy used by the aviation industry due to favourable properties including high strength and fatigue resistance. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) showed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by P. putida were important components of biofilms with a likely role in biofilm stability and adhesion to the surfaces. EDX analysis showed that the proportion of phosphorus with respect to nitrogen is higher in the EPS than in the bacterial cells. Additionally, different morphologies in biofilm formation were observed in the fuel phase compared to the water phase. Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) analysis suggested that phosphoryl and carboxyl functional groups are fundamental for the irreversible attachment between the EPS of bacteria and the aluminium surface, by the formation of hydrogen bonds and inner-sphere complexes between the macromolecules and the aluminium surface. Based on the hypothesis that nucleic acids (particularly DNA) are an important component of EPS in P. putida biofilms, the impact of degrading extracellular DNA was tested. Treatment with the enzyme DNase I affected both water and fuel phase biofilms – with the cell structure disrupted in the aqueous phase, but cells remained attached to the aluminium coupons.
published_date	2024-02-20T12:16:04Z
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Spectroscopic and Microscopic Characterization of Microbial Biofouling on Aircraft Fuel Tanks

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