Biodegradation parameters and kinetic characteristics for pre-treating waste strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were studied in laboratory scale with an insulated reactor by an innovative technique, autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD). Based on an Arrhenius-type equation, an empirical model was developed to correlate the removal of total suspended solid (TSS) with the initial TSS concentration, influent reaction temperature, aeration rate and stirring rate. The reaction temperatures of the ATAD system could be raised from the ambient temperatures of 25 degrees C to a maximum temperature of 65 degrees C. The exponentials for the initial TSS concentration, aeration rate and stirring rate were 1.579, -0.8175 and -0.6549, respectively, and the apparent activation energy was 6.8774 kJ.mol(-1). The correlation coefficient for the pre-exponential factor was 0.9223. The TSS removal efficiency predicted by the model was validated with an actual test, showing a maximum relative deviation of 10.79%. The new model has a good practicability.