Substrate inhibition kinetics in a fluidized bioparticle

An analysis of substrate inhibition kinetics in a fluidized bioparticle is presented. A model which considers the interactions between intrabiofilm mass transfer and bacterial rate processes is developed based on Haldane inhibition kinetics. The model predicts that, under given circumstances, a bioparticle effectiveness factor of greater than unity is attainable for a range of biofilm thicknesses, indicating that a bioparticle is effective as an inhibitory substrate. The bioparticle effectiveness factor can be used in conjunction with fluidization correlations to predict the overall efficiency of a biological fluidized bed reactor in the presence of substrate inhibition.