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A new apparatus, the inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactor, is described. Introduction of the so called inverse fluidized bed, in which low density particles covered by a biofilm are fluidized by downflow of the liquid, allows control of the biofilm thickness and provides a high oxygen concentration in the reacting liquid. Characteristics of the reactor were studied by carrying out two important biotechnological processes: aerobic wastewater treatment by a mixed bacterial culture, and ferrous iron oxidation by the bacteria Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. The bioreaction rates per unit volume of the reactor were up to 14 times higher than those in the equivalent airlift bioreactor. The structure of the liquid flow was determined by a tracer method.

The bed expansion characteristics of two-phase inverse fluidization were studied.

The influence of temperature, pH, and substrate and product concentrations on the oxidation rate of ferrous iron by biofilm of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was determined. The experiments were performed in an inverse fluidized-bed biofilm reactor in which the biofilm thickness was kept constant at 80 mum. Oxygen concentration and diffusion through the biofilm did not limit the oxidation rate. The oxidation rate was almost unaffected by temperature between 13 and 38 degrees C, pH between 1.3 and 2.2, ferric iron concentration up to 14 g/L, or ferrous iron concentration from 4 to 13 g/L. The kinetics of the process was described by the Monod equation with respect to the mass of the biofilm and with ferrous ions as the limiting substrate.