Biocarriers, whose performance directly influences the effects of wastewater treatment, are the core of biofilm technology. In this study, the effects of a carrier's internal diameter size on biofilm characteristics were systematically investigated. Tubes with different internal diameter (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm) were cut into stub tubes as biocarriers used in five laboratory-scale sequencing batch biofilm reactors for this experiment. Among all the carriers, the large internal diameter ones exhibited the highest biomass and biofilm thickness except total biomass. Carriers with a smaller (<6 mm) or large (>8 mm) diameter structure limited either wastewater to flow over carrier's internal surface or mass to be transferred into the depth of the excessively thick biofilm in which extracellular polysaccharides (especially the tightly-bound layer extracellular polymeric substances) were accumulated, resulting in a reduction of biofilm dehydrogenase enzyme activity (DHA). By contrast, medium internal diameter (6–8 mm) carriers had the best performance in terms of biofilm activity and nutrient removal. During the biofilm's mature period, biomass, biofilm thickness, and extracellular polymeric substances (especially for proteins) all showed higher positive correlation with the internal diameter size ranging from 2 to 10 mm. Controlling the biofilm characteristics by selecting an appropriate carrier diameter size is important to ensure proper microbial biomass, activity, and renewal rate in wastewater treatment.
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