Increasing flow rate reduces biofouling and colonization by filamentous bacteria in drippers fed with reclaimed wastewater

The clogging of drippers due to the development of biofilms reduces the benefits and is an obstacle to the implementation of drip irrigation technology. The geometry of the dripper channel has an impact on the flow behaviours and head loss. The objective of this study was to analyse the influence of hydrodynamic parameters of three types of drippers (flow rates of 1, 2 and 4 l.h-1) fed by reclaimed wastewater on biofilm development kinetics and on the bacterial community. Using optical coherence tomography, we demonstrated that the inlet of the drippers (mainly the first baffle) and vortex zones are the most sensitive area for biofouling. Drippers with the lowest flow rate (1 l.h-1) and the smallest channel section were the favourable areas to biofouling. The low inlet velocity (0.34 m.s-1) in this type of dripper compared to 2 l.h-1 (0.61 25 m.s-1) and 4 l.h-1 (0.78 m.s-1) drippers can favour the deposition and development of biofilms. In addition, the water velocity influenced the structure of the bacterial communities in the biofilm. Low velocity (0.34 m.s-1) favoured the presence of Hydrogenophaga and Pseudoxanthomonas genera at the early stage of biofilm formation and filamentous bacteria belonging to Chloroflexi phylum at the end. So, maintaining a high flow rate and using drippers with a large flow cross-section is an effective way to control the development of biofilms by limiting the presence of filamentous bacteria.