Using optical coherence tomography to quantify biofilm structure and mass transfer in combination with mathematical modeling

The evolution of biofilm structure on the carriers used in moving bed biofilm reactor was investigated by means of optical coherence tomography and biofilm image analysis. A method was developed by combining biofilm imaging and mathematical modeling to study the mass transfer characteristics in the vicinity of biofilm surface. The method was further used to examine the effect of the deposition of organic particle at biofilm surface on the mass transfer from bulk liquid into biofilms.