Temperature effects on ciliates diversity and abundance in a rotating biological reactor

Experiments in a 20-litre, laboratory, rotating biological reactor were performed at 10, 20, and 30-degrees-C to depurate carbonaceous wastewaters coming from the food industry with an organic load of 2 g of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) per litre (0.6 g of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) per litre). Twenty acrylic discs, 0.3 m diameter were arranged in 10 compartments, and rotated at 30 rpm. At a one-day residence time, when pseudo-steady-state conditions were reached, removal of organics was, at 10-degrees-C, 45 and 63% for COD and BOD5, respectivel