Biofilms on aged Materials in Household Installation Systems

The quality of water in Germany is considered exemplary worldwide – at least up to the water meter. But with household installations a gray area begins. A wide variety of materials is used with quite a few of them supporting biofilm growth. As a consequence, disinfection measures are taken, stressing and, thus, ageing the materials. This study addresses the question in how far ageing might support further biofilm growth. The work is part of a joint research project conducted by five research institutes including the IWW Water Centre and 17 industrial partners under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Hans-Curt Flemming (University of Duisburg-Essen). It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for four years. The results call for attention.