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The degradation of diesel and phenanthrene in waste water was studied in a column combining a submerged trickling-flow with a fixedfilm at a determined biofilm thickness with recirculation. Degradation efficiencies were found to be high with the production of a biofilm thickness of 789 μm structured in a package material with proper adsorption and physicochemical properties necessary to reach a stable state condition for the degradation of recalcitrant components in 78% at a retention time of 3 h. Improved degradation rates were reached with a biofilm built from an adapted inoculum that showed the presence of Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp. Enterobacter in a concentration of 6.45×10 9 CFU mL −1 . Moreover, the biodegradation rate of the inoculumn was quantified. The diesel kinetic experimental data were well described by Gompertz model which provides a specific grow rate (Kb) of 0.76±0.36 h −1 and a correlation of R 2 =0.93. The integral approach study of the variables of a complex degradation process lead to improve the complete operation of the reactor in comparison with other more specific component-based approaches.