Influence of Seeding Conditions on Initial Biofilm Development during the Startup of Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactors

The characterization of the biofilm of an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor was completed under standard conditions. The distribution of the fixed protein concentration depended on the level in the reactor. The protein concentration reached 1520 µg.g⁻¹ of support at the top of the reactor and only 1200 µg.g⁻¹ at the bottom after 504 hours of operation but the specific activity of the biofilm was 33×10⁻⁴ µM acetate.h⁻¹.mg⁻¹ proteins at the bottom and only 26×10⁻⁴ µM.h⁻¹.mg⁻¹ at the top. The efficiency of a fluidized bed reactor and the composition of the biofilm changed with an increase of the pH from 7 to 8.5 during the seeding of the support material. Future development of the biofilm and the specific activity of the support were affected.