Reaction kinetics in biofilms

A novel in situ microtechnique allows evaluating parameters of diffusion‐controlled reactions in biofilms. A microprobe, 15 μm in diameter, was used to simultaneously measure the dissolved oxygen concentration and the optical density at different depths in a submerged biofilm. Based on the results, the biofilm diffusion coefficient for dissolved oxygen, D f the dissolved oxygen flux through the biofilm surface, J 02 , and the half velocity coefficient, K s , have been calculated.