This work reports on the removal of organic matter and nitrogen in a radial-flow aerobic-anoxic immobilized biomass (RAIB) reactor fed with domestic sewage pretreated in a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor. Polyurethane foam was used as support material for biomass attachment in both reactors. In batch experiments, a first-order kinetic model with residual concentration represented the organic matter removal rate, whereas nitrogen conversion followed a pseudo-first-order reaction in series model, with kinetic constants k(1) ( ammonium to nitrite) and k(2) ( nitrite to nitrate) of 0.25 and 6.62 h(-1), respectively. The RAIB reactor was operated in continuous-flow mode and changes in the airflow rate and hydraulic retention time were found to interfere in the apparent kinetic constants to the nitritation ( k1) and nitratation ( k2). Nitrification and denitrification were achieved in the partially aerated RAIB reactor operating with hydraulic retention times of 3.3 h and 2.7 h in the aerobic and anoxic zones, respectively. Ethanol was added in the anoxic zone of the reactor to promote denitrification. The effluent flow of the RAIB reactor presented a COD of 52 mg l(-1), and concentrations of 2 mg N - NH(4)(+)l(-1), 1.24 mg N - NO(2)(-)l(-1) and 3.46 mg N -NO(3)(-)l(-1).