Microbes exist in every water system, and as microbes grow, they attach themselves to wetted surfaces forming biofilms that are difficult to remove. Blue Earth Products offers a variety of products and services to combat biofilm and its effects in a wide variety of water systems, from treatment to distribution as well as in facilities, agriculture, and HVAC.
Effects of Biofilms
Biofilms have a complex structure stabilized by strong attachment mechanisms, and they can adapt to changing environments making them difficult to remove. Biofilms develop on surfaces throughout water distribution systems, including the interior of filtration systems, pipes, storage tanks, and heating and cooling systems. The presence of biofilms can have various negative effects including:
- Decreased flow rates that hinder the overall efficiency of the water distribution system and equipment.
- Decreased disinfection effectiveness due to combating increased disinfection demand, loss of residual chlorine, and alteration of the water’s physical and chemical properties, such as decreased dissolved oxygen concentration, greater turbidity, and rising pH levels.
- Increased corrosion leading to deterioration of the water distribution system and potential leaching of harmful contaminants such as lead and copper into the water supply.
- Degraded water quality resulting in bad tastes and odors and the increased presence of harmful bacteria and pathogens potentially affecting the safety of consumers.
The presence of biofilms and their microbial components are often overlooked when addressing water system issues, yet they are often a big culprit to the problems at hand. It is important to understand the root cause of water quality problems. Blue Earth Products has a variety of diagnostic tools and resources to help determine the extent of biofilm related problems.
Biofilm & Corrosion Control and Prevention
Blue Earth Products has an extensive line of products that comprehensibly clean utility, industrial, and commercial water systems, and prevent biofilms and deposits from forming. Maintaining a system free of biofilms and deposits is key to controlling and preventing corrosion, decreased disinfectant residuals, the spread of harmful bacteria, and overall poor water quality.
When used in conjunction with a primary disinfectant, Clearitas® can be added online to keep pipes and equipment free of deposits. Clearitas destroys the organic compounds holding biofilms and deposits together, allowing the primary disinfectant residual to target microbiological activity.
For systems that should be treated offline, such as tanks, basins, and filters, our suite of Floran® products can be applied to quickly break down and remove both inorganic and organic deposits. Many systems thought to be at the end of their service life have been restored to provide more years of service and avoid the need for replacement.
Contact us to see how Blue Earth Products can enhance your facility’s maintenance program to extend system life and reduce operations and maintenance costs.
