Fate of particulate organic in biofilm reactors

The project is part of a network that aims at obtaining advancements in the biological removal of nitrogen from industrial and municipal wastewaters, focusing on the use of biofilm technology. The ultimate goals of the network are: the development of efficient and compact biofilm reactors; the scientific training of young researchers; the exchange of know-how between the research teams involved. Correlations will be established between biofilm structure and activity, on one side, and the bioreactor operating conditions, on the other side, in order to obtain an optimized design of the nitrogen conversion processes. Main topics of research are: a) Biofilm structure and activity: characterization of microbial aggregates as a function of the physico-chemical and hydrodynamic environment; b) Bioprocess modeling: predictive biofilm models and process simulation; c) Bioreactor design, operation and control: guide-lines for the efficient design and control of nitrifying/denitrifying biofilm reactors. The specific focus of the work at IMT will be do perform laboratory scale experiments and mathematical simulations to evaluate the fate of particulate organic matter in biofilm reactors treating wastewater.