97-14: Elucidation of Components of Aromatic Triazole Demand in Cooling Water

Concern about aquatic toxicity of cooling water discharges has driven the development of biodegradable inhibitors for use in cooling water treatment. Aromatic 1,2,3-Triazoles are important components of corrosion inhibitor package of most cooling water formulations. This paper examines the correlation between structure of aromatic triazoles and the ease of their biodegradation. The mechanism and kinetics of biodegration and the impact of structure-specific biodegradation rates of isomers on inhibitor consumption in power plant applications is discussed. The understanding of structure-biodegradability correlations has led to the development of new, more environmentally friendly yellow metal corrosion inhibitors, which also posses superior yellow metal corrosion inhibition performance. The properties of one of these inhibitors are discussed.