MAE Seminar: "Exploring Biological Particle Aggregates through Interdisciplinary Collaboration: An Opportunity for Engineering"

Prof. Matthew J. Rau
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University

Tuesday, April 12, 2021 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Virtual via Zoom

Abstract

Much of the particulate matter in aquatic systems is biological in origin. These particles, which include everything from bacteria and algae to fecal pellets and other detritus from organisms, have a profound effect on material transport at all scales. These particles are largely cohesive and readily aggregate with themselves and other particles, including non-biological particles and anthropogenic pollutants. This aggregation packages small particles into larger, faster-settling clumps and is one of the main drivers of particle sedimentation in our lakes, estuaries, and oceans. However, these bio aggregates and their response to hydrodynamic forces are poorly understood. This talk summarizes recent efforts performed collaboratively between engineers and oceanographers to measure and parameterize the breakup behavior of these aggregates when exposed to hydrodynamic shear. In particular, the application of engineering concepts to benefit this interdisciplinary topic are highlighted. These efforts include integrated laboratory and field investigations using novel instrumentation developed specifically to quantify the breakup strength and child particle size distributions of naturally occurring aggregates. Importantly, our lab experiments, which rely on high-speed imaging and particle tracking, have captured how deformation and restructuring leading up to the point of disaggregation are critical for determining aggregate strength and breakup mass distribution. These results are discussed along with summaries of new investigations focused on expanding our understanding of aggregation in the presence of biopolymers and how it affects transport in aquatic systems. 

Bio

Matthew Rau is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University. He received his PhD from Purdue University in 2016 and was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow with the Naval Research Laboratory from 2016-2017. Dr. Rau’s research interests primarily consider transport in multiphase flows, ranging from engineered systems to the environment. His group performs a variety of experimental techniques in the laboratory and develops and deploys novel measurement techniques in the field to study natural particulate matter. He was awarded a National Science CAREER award in 2021 for his research on biological aggregates.