Numerical modeling of multiphase biofilm formation on a porous solid surface with heat equation coupling and temperature-dependent parameters

Abstract

In this work, we propose a thermally coupled multiphase model for biofilm formation on a porous solid surface. The biofilm comprises a cellular phase, an extracellular-matrix phase, and interstitial water. Kinetic rates are temperature-dependent, and osmotic influx is driven by a Flory-Huggins-type swelling pressure. The system is discretized using standard finite element method in space and an implicit Euler scheme in time. Numerical simulations in MATLAB are presented to illustrate the model's behavior and support the obtained results.