Mass transfer phenomena in biofilm systems

Abstract

Mathematical models allow the simulation of microorganism growth and substrate transport in biofilm systems. Nevertheless there is still a lack of knowledge about the mass transfer of substrate in the boundary layer between biofilm and bulkphase. Several biofilms were cultivated under different substrate and hydrodynamic conditions in a biofilm tube reactor. Oxygen concentration profiles were measured with oxygen microelectrodes in the biofilm and in the boundary layer. The thickness of the concentration layer was found to depend on surface structure which depends on the substrate loading and the hydrodynamic conditions during the growth phase of the biofilm. Biofilm density and maximum substrate flux were also influenced by growth conditions. An empirical function for the concentration layer thickness was formulated for biofilms grown under different conditions to describe transport phenomena in the boundary layer.