Concepts and Models for Biofilm Reactor Performance

This paper reviews the state of knowledge of the basic mechanisms governing transformation of pollutants and the present approaches with which to predict the performance of biofilm reactors. The design of biofilm reactor is based mainly on empirical loading criteria or empirical design formulae. Introduction of more stringent effluent requirements, new types of biofilm reactors, as well as application of biofilm reactors to more untraditional types of waste materials, calls for new design procedures with higher degrees of confidence. Most new attempts to model biofilm reactors are based on fundamental principles for mass transport to and through biofilms coupled with kinetic expressions for pollutant transformations in the biofilms. A simple simulation model based on half order kinetics is able to describe the removal of soluble substrates, mineralisation of organic matter, nitrification and denitrification. A simple first order kinetics is able to predict degradation of some xenobiotics. Advanced simulation models appearing in the past few years show a strong promise for detailed analysis of the effect of variation in influent waste characteristics, population dynamics, reactor configuration, etc. However, none of the models are able to predict properly the removal of particular matter and mixtures of several groups of industrial organic chemicals. Again, insight in the basic removal mechanisms is required.