Cohesion and detachment in biofilm systems for different electron acceptor and donors.

This work deals with the cohesion and detachment in biofilm systems for two electron acceptors and for two electron donors. Biofilms were developed on plates, under very low shear stress for one month and then subjected to an erosion test for two hours in a Couette-Taylor reactor. Biofilm was characterised in terms of average thickness and residual TOC mass. It was found that the biofilm structure is very heterogeneous and stratified. The top layer, which represents 60% of the biofilm mass, is very fragile and can be easily detached; the basal layer, which represents 20% of the biofilm mass, is very cohesive and can resist shear stresses up to 13 Pa. Between these two layers, a middle layer of intermediary cohesion represents 20% of the initial biofilm mass.