01-08: An Innovative Biodetergent for Fouling Control

Biofouling control has always been a difficult task for cooling tower treatment programs. The growth of biofilm can aggravated mineral scaling and the deposition of corrosion products. Unchecked biofouling can lead to shut down cooling water operations and created potential human exposure hazards. This paper describes the application of an innovative biodetergent technology to complement conventional biocide programs for fouling control. Two case studies are reported on cooling towers in a utility and a petrochemical plant. The biodetergent treatment helped recover cooling tower performance, cleaned up algal masses and reduced biofilms in the cooling systems.