Abstract
After few minutes of contact between membrane and raw water the first irreversible attachment of cells occurs. Pseudomonas vesicularis, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Staphylococcus warneri have been identified as fast adhering species out of a tap water microflora. If non-starving cells are used, the adhesion process is strongly dependent upon the number of cells in suspension with a linearity between the logarithms of numbers of suspended and adhering cells above 10 6 cells/ml up to complete covering of the surface (3 × 10 7/cm 2). Starving cells do not cover the surface completely but colonize in an island pattern with free membrane areas in between. A “biological affinity” of different membrane materials towards different bacteria can be detected. Polyetherurea had a significantly lower biological affinity than polyamide, polysulfone and polyethersulfone. The adhesion inhibition of Dodecyleguanidineacetate (Dodigen) and Triton X 100 showed inhibiting effects against bacterial attachment, but it was dependent upon the strain and the membrane material. Ultrasonic treatment detached all adhering cells.
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