Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol.11 No.2, Issue of April 15, 2008 © 2008 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received August 28, 2007 / Accepted December 6, 2007 DOI: 10.2225/vol11-issue2-fulltext-12 RESEARCH ARTICLE Visualisation of the microbial colonisation of a slow sand filter using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope Esther Devadhanam Joubert* Department of Environmental Sciences Skinner Street Campus University of South Africa P O Box 392, 0003 South Africa Tel: 27 012 352 4278 Fax: 27 012 352 4270 E-mail:
[email protected] Balakrishna Pillay Department of Microbiology Westville Campus University of KwaZulu-Natal Private Bag X 54001 Durban, 4000 South Africa Tel: 27 031 260 7404 Fax: 27 031 260 7809 E-mail:
[email protected] Keywords: biofilm, microbial biodiversity, schmutzdecke. Abbreviations: ESEM: environmental scanning electron microscopy SEM: scanning electron microscopy SSF: slow sand filtration The removal of contaminants in slow sand filters occurs Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right and mainly in the colmation layer or schmutzdecke - a required to sustain life. The production of adequate and safe biologically active layer consisting of algae, bacteria, drinking water is the most important factor contributing to a diatoms and zooplankton. A ripening period of 6 - 8 decrease in mortality and morbidity in developing countries weeks is required for this layer to form, during which (van Leeuwen, 2000). Finding a way to provide clean and time filter performance is sub-optimal. In the current safe drinking water in affected areas is therefore a study, an environmental scanning electron microscope necessary step in any effort to improve the quality of life of was used to visualise the ripening process of a pilot-scale people in underserved areas and to mitigate the devastating slow sand filter over a period of eight weeks.