| The purpose of this research was to study biofilm characteristics with respect to time and spatial position within a specific treatment process. The Britannia Leachate Treatment Plant (Mississauga, Ontario) was the focus of this study. The treatment train was composed of four separate stages of rotating biological contactors (RBC). The biofilm composition was 40-54% inorganic solids, 8-15% organic and 32-52% water.; The biofilm was characterised by analysing its porosity and the ruggedness of its surface. The data were processed using fractal analysis. Boundary fractal dimensions describe the roughness of the surface and these varied from 1.02 to 1.34. Sierpinski fractal dimensions describe the rate the background disappears with increasing resolution, and these varied from 1.932 to 1.974. The fractal dimensions were not affected by sampling time, biofilm thickness and porosity, and spatial position in the treatment process. |
