The method for steady states determination in tubular biofilm reactors

A method for determining the steady states in tubular reactors with biofilm on their inner walls is presented. The proposed method is general and can be used for modeling and design of aerobic processes in vertical and horizontal co-current tubular bioreactors. The proposed model can be extended for multi-substrate processes, aerobic as well as anaerobic. It was shown that bioreactor diameter strongly influences the degree of conversion of substrates. A new phenomenon was discovered, namely switching of profiles of concentrations of reagents in the biofilm. Interpretation of this phenomenon was given. It has been shown that by appropriate selection of the bioreactor diameter, it is possible to achieve high degrees of conversions of substrates at much lower residence times than in the continuous tank bioreactors.