Disintegration of Simulated Drinking Water Biofilms with Arrays of Microchannelplasmajets

Biofilms are ubiquitous in municipal drinking water distribution systems, and they present significant human health concerns because they often harbor pathogens. It has long been known that biofilms are able to serve as pathogen reservoirs by supplying nutrients and shielding pathogens from disinfectants. In particular, biofilms have been shown to capture and accumulate planktonic pathogens and subsequently release these species into air or a water flow stream by the detachment of biofilm material.