A membrane supported biofilm reactor uses modules having fine, hollow
fibers, for example, made from melt spun thermoplastic polymers treated
after spinning to increase their permeability to oxygen, used, for
example, in tows or formed into a fabric. In one module, one or more
sheets of the fabric are potted into a module to enable oxygen containing
gas to be supplied to the lumens of the hollow fibers. Various reactors
and processes, for example to treat wastewater, using such modules are
described. In one process, oxygen travels through fibers, optionally
through an attached biofilm, to oxygenate surrounding water. Mechanical,
chemical and biological methods, for example endogenous respiration, are
used to control the thickness of the biofilm.