Abstract
The objectives of this study are to develop a layered biofilm model which expresses distributions of active biomass, dormant biomass, and extracellular polymer in biofilm with attrition in a methanogenic fluidized bed reactor, to discuss availability of the model in comparison with experimental results, to evaluate possibility of the existence of “dormant” biomass in the biofilm, and to estimate distributions of the active biomass, dormant biomass, and extracellular polymer in biofilm by the model. Comparing specific activities of sloughed and remaining biomasses with those of attached biomass, the existence of “dormant” biomass in the biofilm was indicated. The model is available to express distributions of specific activities of active and dormant biomasses in the biofilm with high accuracy.
