Biological Control and Biocides

Cooling water towers can be ideal breeding grounds for biological growth, including algae,
bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. If not properly controlled, these
organisms will form a layer of bio-slime that acts as a natural adhesion surface for scale
forma on, resul ng in increased corrosion rates, restricted water ow, and reduced system
e ciency.

Our engineers begin their biological control program with a thorough system survey of the
cooling water towers to determine the exact type of biological growth control necessary.
This informa on allows the engineer to select a customized treatment program to produce
the best kill rate for speci c organisms. Other considera ons include:

• The volume of the water being treated as measured through a molybdate-tracer

program or the system piping

• The recircula ng water pH to ensure the water is compa ble with the selected
biocides

Once the treatment program is ini ated, our engineers con nually monitor the biological
ac vity, as biocides may need to be alternated to provide the best treatment. In most
instances, weekly or bi-weekly alterna on provides the best results.

Enzyme poisons
Enzyme poisons are e ec ve against sulfate-reducing bacteria. These compounds permeate
cell walls and chemically react with enzyme func onal groups to prevent these enzymes
from performing their normal metabolic ac vi es. Methylene-bisthiocyanate (MBT), heavy
metals (such as n), dithiocarbamates, and chloromethylisothiazolin are all enzyme poisons.

• MBT complexes ferric ions in the cell cytochrome and prevents the oxida on-
reduc on reac on necessary for cell respira on and energy produc on.
Microorganisms do not develop resistance to MBT. This biocide is also extremely
e ec ve against sulfate reducers. MBT hydrolyzes and loses half-life at pH values
above 8.0. Addi onally, MBT is deac vated by high concentra ons of ferric iron.

• Heavy metals such as bis (tributyl n) oxide permeate cell walls and a ack thiol and
other func onal groups essen al to enzyme func ons.

• Dithiocarbamates chelate metallic ions essen al to organism metabolism in the cell.

Dithiocarbamates also complex copper ions.

Oxidizing and Non Oxidizing Biocides

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 Oxidizing Biocides

These compounds oxidize protein groups within the cell, resul ng in loss of normal enzyme
ac vity necessary for respira on and cell metabolism. They also destroy cell walls.

Chlorine is the most widely used oxidizing biocide. Some anaerobic bacteria, such as sulfate
reducers, can develop resistance to chlorine. Other organisms can encapsulate and resist
chlorine by moving to other loca ons in the system. Bromine donors are more e ec ve at
higher pH levels. All chlorine and bromine donors are oxidizing biocides, including stabilized
isocyanurates and slow-release hydantoins.

Nonoxidizing Biocides

In smaller systems, the use of nonoxidizing biocides has remained an industry standard.
However, because a single biocide is usually not as e ec ve as chlorine, two or more
di erent products are normally needed to achieve adequate microbial control. Contrary to
popular belief, cooling water microorganisms do not become immune to nonoxidizing
biocides. This gene c property exists in viruses and insects, but not in algae, bacteria,
or fungi. While waterborne bacteria do have limited adap ve defense mechanisms to
enzyme poisoning and surface-ac ve agents, they do not reproduce genera ons of new
organisms immune to these biocides. Since all organisms are not equally a ected by the
three classes of biocide kill mechanisms men oned, some organisms cannot be controlled
for extended periods by any one biocide. When alterna ng biocides, it is essen al to
select products with di erent kill mechanisms.

Alterna ng Oxidizing & Nonoxidizing Biocides

Alterna ng chlorina on with nonoxidizing biocide treatment provides the ul mate microbial
control with minimum treatment costs. Alterna ng these biocides provides the following
bene ts:

• Unsurpassed bulk water cleanliness

• Reduced dosage and frequency of nonoxidizing biocides

• Alterna on of nonoxidizing biocides is not needed

• Heat exchanger cleanliness is greatly improved

• Low overall treatment costs

• Each program’s limits are overcome by the other program

While these advantages have been obvious to everyone for a number of years, the problems
of installing gaseous chlorine feed systems in all but the largest cooling water systems have
discouraged this op on. However, the availability of organic, stabilized chlorine donors has
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 solved this problem. Available in concentrated tablets with 90 percent available chlorine,
these products can be manually slug fed or con nuously fed, using inexpensive basket or
tube feeders. Storage and handling are also easy, as the products are available in plas c pails
or ber drums.

Cell wall and cytoplasm toxicants

Cell wall and cytoplasm toxicants include polymeric amines, quaternary ammonium
compounds, and chlorophenols. These materials are surface-ac ve compounds that orient
and absorb on cell walls and reduce cell permeability, thereby disrup ng the normal ow of
nutrients into the cell and normal waste discharges out of the cell.

Since their ac on is primarily mechanical in nature, rela vely high concentra ons are
required. High suspended solid levels in the water absorb much of the biocide, requiring
prohibi vely high dosages and deac va ng some of these products. The mechanical process
also requires more me for system cleanup.

• Quaternary ammonium compounds a ack phospholipids in the cytoplasmic

membrane, causing lysis of the cytoplasm. Ca onic materials also form electrosta c
bonds with nega vely charged sites in the cell, blocking normal ac vity. Organisms
acclima ze to the biocides by increasing the phospholipid content of the membrane
and developing thicker cell walls.

• Chlorophenols absorb on cell walls through hydrogen bonding, penetra ng the

membrane and forming colloidal suspensions with the cytoplasm and precipitate
protein. Though highly e ec ve, these biocides are seldom used today because of
their persistence in the environment and their manufacturing hazards.

• Glutaraldehydes react in a similar manner as chlorophenols, reac ng with and

precipita ng protein groups in the cell nucleus. Kill mechanisms are rapid at high pH,
but take more me in low pH waters. Microbial adapta on is minimal, but the
presence of ammonia or other primary amines will react with glutaraldehyde and
reduce its e ec veness.

• Dibromo-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) func ons as a cytoplasm toxicant, reac ng

with proteins in the cell nucleus. Like MBT, DBNPA hydrolyzes at pH values above 8.0,
and the half-life of the biocide in the cooling water is greatly reduced. DBNPA also
func ons as an oxidizer by selec vely bromina ng metabolic sites and destroying cell
walls.

• Chloromethylisothiazolin func ons by inhibi ng respira on and food transport

through the cell wall. Like all surface-ac ve biocides, considerable reten on me is
required for isothiazolones to perform e ec vely.
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