Development and Experimental Evaluation of a Steady-State, Multispecies Biof ilm Model 

 -  Biotechnology and BioEngineering, 39, p.914-922, 1992 .
<br/><br/> in multispecies biofilms is developed. The model includes multiple active species, inert biomass, substrate utilization and diffusion within the biofilm, external mass transport, and detachment phenomena. It predicts the steady-state values .of biofilm thickness, species distribution, and substrate fluxes. An experimental evaluation is carried out in completely mixed biofilm reactors in which Jow-growing nitrifying bacteria compete with acetate-utilizing heterotrophs. The experimental results show that the model successfully describes the space competition. In particular, increasing acetate concentrations causes NH4+-N fluxes to decrease, because nitrifiers are forced deeper into the biofilm, where they experience greater mass-transport resistance. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>BIOFILM COMPETITION<br/>MODELING MULTISPECIES<br/>NITRIFICATION SPECIES DISTRIBUTION