Internet address(es):

Main address: www.au.dk

Purchase of Aerosol Conditioning System

As part of a joint research project between the group of Professor Merete Bilde at the Department of Chemistry (AU) and my group at the Department of Bioscience, we are currently building an aerosolisation and collection pipeline for bacterial cells that will allow us to aerosolize and collect microbes under controlled temperature and RH conditions, 2 parameters that trigger microbial activity and survival in the atmosphere.

The finalised set up that includes the Echotech Aerosol Conditioning System (ACS 1000) (see quote) will produce unique data sets that will allow us to conclude on the influence physical conditions on bacterial cells and ultimately on the role of bacterial cells in atmosphere and their spreading capacity on much more firm grounds than it is currently possible.

Motivation: Knowledge on the activity and abundance of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) is important for a variety of fields and applications, including atmospheric chemistry and physics, biogeography, meteorology, hospital hygiene, epidemiology as well as industry that is sensitive to contamination, such as pharmaceutics or food processing.

Airborne bacteria are a particularly important group of PBAP. They are potential pathogens to humans, animal or plants1, they can affect atmospheric chemical processes by maintaining metabolic activity, in particular, carbon 2 - 4 and nitrogen 5 cycles and radical chemistry 6, and some species, such as Pseudomonas syringae, can be involved in cloud formation and influence patterns of precipitation, meteorology, and climate 7 - 11 due to physiological properties like ice-nucleation activity12 and biosurfactant production13. Despite the many roles and functions that may be an attribute to microbes in the atmosphere, it is difficult to address them in situ. Therefore, it is necessary to complement in situ studies with laboratory studies during which essential environmental parameters such as temperature and relative humidity (RH) as well as the type of microbe and their dose can be controlled.

Impact:

As part of a joint research project between the group of Professor Merete Bilde at the Department of Chemistry (AU) and my group at the Department of Bioscience, we are currently building an aerosolisation and collection pipeline for bacterial cells that will allow us to aerosolize and collect microbes under controlled temperature and RH conditions, 2 parameters that trigger microbial activity and survival in the atmosphere.

The finalised set up that includes the Echotech Aerosol Conditioning System (ACS 1000) (see quote) will produce unique data sets that will allow us to conclude on the influence physical conditions on bacterial cells and ultimately on the role of bacterial cells in atmosphere and their spreading capacity on much more firm grounds than it is currently possible.

Why do we need the Echotech Aerosol Conditioning System (ACS 1000)?:

From a series of preliminary studies as well as from the literature we have very strong indications that relative humidity and temperature are important physical controlling factors of bacterial cell activity and survival in the atmosphere. In our current set up these parameters are controlled in by combining several instruments that are not well integrated. Thus, it is very laborious to set up the system and at the same time, the set up needs close supervision when sampling campaigns are extended. This has consequences for who and for how long the system can be run and it makes it therefore difficult to involve master and project studies in our research projects.

We can overcome these difficulties and streamline our system by replacing our current system of combined controllers by the Echotech Aerosol Conditioning System (ACS 1000).

Supplier (Echotech) is the only producer of an instrument which can humidify air with a sufficiently high precision at a high flow, as it is necessary for our experiments.

Internet address:https://erhvervsstyrelsen.dk/klagenaevnet-for-udbud