Simultaneous evaluation of effective diffusion coefficients of the substrates in a biofilm with a novel experimental method

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, a pure culture of Zoogloea ramigera was grown as a film on active carbon particles in a differential fluidized bed biofilm reactor (DFBBR) as a novel experimental system for the application of diffusion‐reaction models. The effective diffusion coefficients of the essential substrates; glucose, ammonium ion and oxygen in the active biofilm were simultaneously calculated. The values of effective diffusion coefficients in the active biofilm to those in water varied between 13–34, 48–96 and 28–48% for glucose, ammonium ion and oxygen, respectively, at different biofilm densities, which is in fair agreement with the literature.