PERFORMANCE OF MICROBIAL STRUCTURE OF A NITRIFYING FLUIDIZED-BED REACTOR

Microbial community and fluidized biofilter efficiency. In a wastewater treatment, microorganism structure and ammonia removal were observed in a fluidized reactor packed with polypropylene material. A removal between 60 to 95 % was found for a load higher than 0.6 kg N-NH4+/m3.d. The bacteria losses influence the structure of biofilm and then the performances of the process. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria grew in a spherical cluster forms. Nitrobacter were not observed. The nitrites were oxidized by bacteria such as Nitrospira.