Bioaerosol Release from Concentrated Microbial Suspensions in Bubbling Processes

Bursting bubbles are one of the most common mechanisms in aerosols' formation from natural and artificial waterbodies. The presence of microbial materials in the liquid could cause their aerosolization and generation of bioaerosols. The process depends on a number of parameters of the gas and liquid involved. This project investigated the influence of the air flow, bubble size, the temperature of the liquid and its surface tension on the efficiency of bioaerosol generation. It was found that the bioaerosol is more efficiently produced at higher air flow rates and smaller bubble size. The influence of the liquid temperature was also identified to be quite high, reaching an order of magnitude of the bioaerosol concentration over the temperature range from 4 degrees C to 38 degrees C. The addition of surfactants did suppress the foam formation, which was found to have a negative effect on the process; the rate of the bioaerosol generation increased with the increase in the antifoam concentration.

Automated summary

Bursting bubbles are a common mechanism for aerosol formation from waterbodies, and the presence of microbial materials in the liquid can lead to the generation of bioaerosols. This study investigated the effects of air flow, bubble size, liquid temperature, and surface tension on the efficiency of bioaerosol generation. Higher air flow rates and smaller bubble size were found to enhance bioaerosol production. Liquid temperature was also found to have a significant impact, with bioaerosol concentration increasing by an order of magnitude over a temperature range of 4°C to 38°C. The addition of surfactants suppressed foam formation, which had a negative effect on the process, while increasing antifoam concentration improved bioaerosol generation.