Abstract
The formation of microbial films(biofilm) by a non-sulfur phototrophic bacteria, Rhodopseudomonas capsulata, on inorganic media was studied. Porous ceramic beads(PCB) were superior to other immobilizing media for the biofilm formation in a packed-bed reactor. It was found that the formation of microbial films favored a lower hydraulic retention time, showing a higher ratio of cells attatched to the media to those suspended in the solution. The cell concentration in the biofilm reactor was as high as 11,400mg/l, which is 8-folds of the cell concentration in an ordinary suspended treatment. It was observed that the formation of micribial film by R. capsulata followed a general serial process of cell attachment, microcolony formation, and biofilm formation. The microbial films thus formed was very stable even for an extremely high volumetric BOD loading rate of 15gBOD/l day. The scanning electron micrographs of the microbial films showed that the cells were attached to both the surface and pores of the media.
