Improving long-term control of microbial corrosion and biofouling by a novel insoluble antimicrobial enhancer

Treated municipal wastewater is a common, widely available alternative source of cooling water for thermoelectric power plants across the U.S. However, the biodegradable organic matter, ammonia-nitrogen, carbonate and phosphates in the treated wastewater pose challenges with respect to enhanced biofouling, corrosion, and scaling, respectively. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits and life cycle costs of implementing tertiary treatment of secondary treated municipal wastewater prior to use in recirculating cooling systems. The study comprised bench- and pilot-scale experimental studies with three different tertiary treated municipal wastewaters, and life cycle costing and environmental analyses of various tertiary treatment schemes. Sustainability factors and metrics for reuse of treated wastewater in power plant cooling systems were also evaluated. The three tertiary treated wastewaters studied were: secondary treated municipal wastewater subjected to acid addition for pH control (MWW_pH); secondary treated municipal wastewater subjected to nitrification and sand filtration (MWW_NF); and secondary treated municipal wastewater subjected nitrification, sand filtration, and GAC adsorption (MWW_NFG). Tertiary treatment was determined to be essential to achieve appropriate corrosion, scaling, and biofouling control for use of secondary treated municipal wastewater in power plant cooling systems. The ability to control scaling, in particular, was found to be significantly enhanced with tertiary treated wastewater compared to secondary treated wastewater. MWW_pH treated water (adjustment to pH 7.8) was effective in reducing scale formation, but increased corrosion and the amount of biocide required to achieve appropriate biofouling control. Corrosion could be adequately controlled with tolytriazole addition (4-5 ppm TTA), however, which was the case for all of the tertiary treated waters. For MWW_NF treated water, the removal of ammonia by nitrification helped to reduce the corrosivity and biocide demand. Also, the lower pH and alkalinity resulting from nitrification reduced the scaling to an acceptable level, without the addition of anti-scalant chemicals. Additional GAC adsorption treatment, MWW_NFG, yielded no net benefit. Removal of organic matter resulted in pitting corrosion in copper and cupronickel alloys. Negligible improvement was observed in scaling control and biofouling control. For all of the tertiary treatments, biofouling control was achievable, and most effectively with pre-formed monochloramine (2-3 ppm) in comparison with NaOCl and ClO2. Life cycle cost (LCC) analyses were performed for the tertiary treatment systems studied experimentally and for several other treatment options. A public domain conceptual costing tool (LC3 model) was developed for this purpose. MWW_SF (lime softening and sand filtration) and MWW_NF were the most cost-effective treatment options among the tertiary treatment alternatives considered because of the higher effluent quality with moderate infrastructure costs and the relatively low doses of conditioning chemicals required. Life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis along with integration of external costs of emissions with direct costs was performed to evaluate relative emissions to the environment and external costs associated with construction and operation of tertiary treatment alternatives. Integrated LCI and LCC analysis indicated that three-tiered treatment alternatives such as MWW_NSF and MWW_NFG, with regular chemical addition for treatment and conditioning and/or regeneration, tend to increase the impact costs and in turn the overall costs of tertiary treatment. River water supply and MWW_F alternatives with a single step of tertiary treatment were associated with lower impact costs, but the contribution of impact costs to overall annual costs was higher than all other treatment alternatives. MWW_NF and MWW_SF alternatives exhibited moderate external impact costs with moderate infrastructure and chemical conditioner dosing, which makes them (especially MWW_NF) better treatment alternatives from the environmental sustainability perspective since they exhibited minimal contribution to environmental damage from emissions.

Corrosion and biofouling control is an important consideration for offshore oil structures. Corrosion rates for steel exposed to seawater immersion and brine air can easily exceed 10 mils per year if left unprotected in the splash zone, while barnacles which attach in shallow tidal zones can similarly induce heavy, accelerated microbiological pitting corrosion. The subsequent deterioration of the ferrous substrates leave these structures at risk for mechanical failure, as the effects of particle impact, abrasion, wear, and erosion combine with the weakened surface structure to accelerate the loss of material. Maintenance of these critical assets often proves a logistical nightmare, when considering the limited accessibility, remote locations, and the huge expense of any interruptions in rig production. Attempts to contain the effects of corrosion are widespread, including strategies such as the introduction of chemical inhibitors to change the environment, sacrificial anodic and cathodic protection, and utilization of new highly alloyed materials. However, by far the most widely used technique is the application of specially engineered surface coatings to provide a physical and chemical barrier between the substrate and the surrounding corrosive media. Coatings can range between extremely simple hot-melted tar and liquid epoxy, which inherently have no chemical bonding to the substrate, and some slightly innate hydrophobicity, to engineered advanced systems including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and zinc silicates with specially paired primers for maximum surface adherence and broad chemical compatibility. None of the existing coating solutions practiced to date has been able to a key fundamental: coatings cannot be used as part of a refurbishment strategy to restore performance and production to existing structures after fouling. The purpose of this project was to develop a multifunctional, omniphobic coating with superior substrate adhesion such that it could fill in and plug surface crevices and pits stemming from corrosion. Additionally, unlike most other coatings, this surface adhesion could be attained through in-field application, either on exposed surfaces through aerosolized spray, or on the interior of transport pipelines via an in-line coating method. This paper will highlight various applications of the coating system on platform fixtures and supporting infrastructure, and how it can improve operational efficiency and extend the usable lifetimes of the selected assets. Offering abrasion resistance and an extremely low surface roughness finish, the coating has been demonstrated to actively repel both water and oil-based mixtures, as well as prevent the attachment and growth of typical marine biologicals such as barnacles and microbial algae. Suitable for nearly any substrate, this paper shall describe multiple ways in which the coating was deployed to combat not only corrosion on the platform itself, but also reduce drag in inspection underwater unmanned vehicles (UUV), and in offering flow assurance when used to refurbish a transport pipeline.

Makeup to a large Du Pont process cooling tower is sixty percent hydrogen cycle cation unit effluent and forty percent demineralized water. The aggressiveness and low buffering capacity of this water has made corrosion control difficult. This paper discusses the history of cooling tower treatment performance and reviews recent improvements made through the use of a zinc-molybdate inhibitor and a unique oxidizing biocide,

: Immersion of a solid surface into a body of natural water exposes the surface to both the water itself and to a variety of dissolved materials. Because the adsorption process is usually faster than perceived corrosion or biological colonization, the degree to which the adsorbed layer affects subsequent events is important in control of biofouling and corrosion of naval equipment. In this report, Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) studies of the nature of the films formed during immersion in the natural water of the severn estuary are reported, and compared with ESCA signals obtained from samples of known substances which are expected to be similar to materials found in natural waters. Keywords: Marine films, Biofouling, Electron spectroscopy, Chemical analysis.

The 2012 Eurocorr meeting was held at the Sheraton Maslak hotel in Istanbul from 9–13th September 2012. The focus of the meeting was ‘Safer world through better corrosion control’. The meeting attracted over 650 delegates and over 360 oral presentations and 125 posters were presented during the 27 sessions and workshops. Part 1 reviewed opening and plenary lectures and technical sessions on corrosion and scale inhibition, corrosion by hot gases and combustion products and coatings. Parts 2–5 will review the remaining technical sessions with; high temperature coatings, mechanisms of environmentally assisted cracking, mechanisms and methods, microbial corrosion, automotive corrosion and corrosion of archaeological and historic artefacts covered in this report.

Valorizing the potential of tropical plant extracts for corrosion and biofouling control in neutral chloride media

Several pinhole leaks were found in cooling water piping at a power plant. This finding led to an investigation to identify the root cause of the problem and its correlation with Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC). A corrective action plan was implemented to improve the overall corrosion and biofouling control in the cooling water treatment program.

Almost every oil and gas facilities and underwater equipment infrastructures are prone to the overwhelming effects of corrosion and biofouling. Nonetheless, the achieved advancement in the science of corrosion and biofouling control, both problems continue to pose major concerns to several facilities worldwide. Nanotechnology is an immensely growing field due to its miscellaneous applications in our daily life. Nanotechnology have revolutionized the scientific world by the creation of new techniques products and methodologies. Nano-scaled materials possess extraordinary features than their micro-scaled counterparts. Henceforth, widespread efforts are being directed towards promotion of the effective usage of nanomaterials to control/mitigate corrosion and biofouling. This chapter highlights a spot on the history of the science of nanotechnology, the different types of produced nanomaterials and the different synthetic approaches. Moreover, this chapter emphasizes the role played by nanomaterials to protect oil and gas constructions from corrosion and biofouling. Studies revealing investigations upon the employment of different nanomaterials in paints, coatings and as corrosion inhibitors will be reviewed in details.

This paper describes ongoing test and evaluation activities which support the U.S. Department of Energy's Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Program. The OTEC program is: one of several technologies being developed by the Department of Energy in response to the need for viable energy options. This technology takes advantage of the temperature differential between warm surface water and cold deep water as found in the tropical and sub-tropical ocean areas, to produce energy through a thermodynamic cycle. Testing and evaluation facilities have been built or are under construction and various testing activities are planned or underway. These activities will contribute to resolving technical issues and providing the necessary data base with which to evolve a sound OTEC program. The regime of testing and evaluation has been planned by the Department of Energy to determine the, operational characteristics and requirements for OTEC hardware in both the laboratory and at-sea environments, and to develop the necessary engineering tools for OTEC design. INTRODUCTION The U.S. Department of Energy's Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Program is currently working towards a prototype plant in the 10 to 40 MWe range to be operating in 15185. To reach this goal, a series of analytical studies, model tests, and at-sea tests, along with conceptual and preliminary design efforts, are being performed to generate data and information which can be used for the specific preliminary and contract design. This will lead to subsequent detail design and construction of the chosen prototype OTEC plant. The present schedule for these activities provides that sufficient information will be available by the end of fiscal year 1979 so that the Department of Energy is in a position to issue a Request for Proposal when such a construction program is authorized. The supporting data base, in many instances, requires actual testing and evaluation of components and materials in a sea water environment. An overview of the OTEC Systems Development Plan provides a picture of how the tests that will be described fit into the plan. Figure 1 shows the Development Plan, based on a construction authorization in fiscal year 1981 for a 10/40 MW OTEC plant, with the various subsystems under development as they lead to a Modular Experiment plant by about 1985. Each of the subsystems shown implies a program of resolution of technical risk. Each represents a test facility itself or requires a testing program to support it. Involved are power systems, cold water pipe, electrical cable, the OTEC-engineering test facility, the modular experiment, technology experiments in biofouling, cleaning and corrosion control, and environmental data resources and siting. This paper will concentrate on the following areas:the Accelerated Core Test Facilities. at Argonne National Laboratories which support the power systems development,ocean buoys, a cleaning facility and a seacoast test facility, which provide for the technology experiments that support the biofouling, corrosion and cleaning efforts,model tank tests and component verification testing,at-sea verification tests of 1/6 scale cold water pipe configurations, andOTEC-l, which is the first major OTEC testing facility. These facilities, tests, and efforts are those most necessary and significant to support the program planning and decision-making requirements at DOE. This paper will discuss each of these test facilities, and related effort, and its relationship to the OTEC program.

Marine growth and corrosion in sea water piping and heat exchangers, if uncontrolled, can result in increased operating and maintenance costs. Fouled piping and heat transfer surfaces cut down cooling water flow resulting in increased fuel consumption and, therefore, more frequent cleanouts. In addition, these fouling sites can lead to accelerated corrosion which, unchecked, results in eventual expensive equipment renewal. Conventional marine growth control technology, most commonly chlorination, is coming under increasing environmental scrutiny and, if not controlled carefully, can itself lead to increased corrosion problems. This paper will present the results of research and field experience with an electrolytic system for controlling both marine growth and corrosion in sea water service systems.

A long‐standing quest in marine materials science has been the development of tough and effective antifouling coatings for diverse surface protection. However, most commercial coatings are severely limited by poor mechanical behavior and unsustainable passive biocidal effect, leading to irreversible marine biofouling and even microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Herein, inspired by the amorphous/crystalline feature within nacreous platelets, a mechanically robust antifouling coating composed of biopolymer‐based hydrogel and dense metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) is developed. Tailoring the cross‐linked networks across multiscale interfaces can furnish strength, dissipate strain, and improve toughness of the building blocks, resulting in a firm and scalable configuration on various substrates regardless of material category and surface topology. The resultant coating as a suitable reservoir exhibits a unique active defensive behavior of intelligent MOF degradation or drug release, enabling a groundbreaking performance for broad‐spectrum biofouling and corrosion control. Notably, neither attachment of marine organisms nor MIC of metal substrates is observed and aggravated during the prolonged testing process in complex biological environments. This study provides distinctive insights into the underlying multimechanisms of comprehensive anti‐fouling‐corrosion and pioneer a rational strategy to design next‐generation reliable MOFs‐derived coatings in marine environments.

Formation of biofilms is one of the most serious problems affecting the integrity of marine structures both onshore and offshore. These biofilms are the key reasons for fouling of marine structures. Biofilm and biofouling cause severe economic loss to the marine industry. It has been estimated that around 10% of fuel is additionally spent when the hull of ship is affected by fouling. However, the prevention and control treatments for biofilms and biofouling of marine structures often involve toxic materials which pose severe threat to the marine environment and are strictly regulated by international maritime conventions. In this context, biomaterials for the treatment of biofilms, fouling, and corrosion of marine structures assume much significance. In recent years, due to the technological advancements, various nanomaterials and nanostructures have revolutionized many of the biological applications including antibiofilm, antifouling, and anticorrosive applications in marine environment. Many of the biomaterials such as furanones and some polypeptides are found to have antibiofilm, antifouling, and anticorrosive potentials. Many of the nanomaterials such as metal (titanium, silver, zinc, copper, etc.) nanoparticles, nanocomposites, bioinspired nanomaterials, and metallic nanotubes were found to exhibit antifouling and anticorrosive applications in marine environment. Both biomaterials and nanomaterials have been used in the control and prevention of biofilms, biofouling, and corrosion in marine structures. In recent years, the biomaterials and nanomaterials were also characterized to have the ability to inhibit bacterial quorum sensing and thereby control biofilm formation, biofouling, and corrosion in marine structures. This chapter would provide an overview of the biomaterials from diverse sources and various category of nanomaterials for their use in antibiofilm, antifouling, and anticorrosion treatments with special reference to marine applications.

Novel strategy for membrane biofouling control in MBR with CdS/MIL-101 modified PVDF membrane by in situ visible light irradiation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the metal-Microbe interaction playing a crucial role in microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and biofouling of materials in cooling water systems. Treatment regimens should be planned based on this understanding. Design/methodology/approach Attempts were made in the past decades to characterize and understand biofilm formation on important power plant structural materials such as carbon steel (CS), stainless steel (SS) and titanium in fresh water and in seawater to achieve better control of biofouling and minimize MIC problems. Findings This report presents the results of detailed studies on tuberculation-formed CS because of the action of iron-oxidizing bacteria and the effects of algae- and bacteria-dominated biofilms on the passivity of SS. The preferential adhesion of different bacterial species on SS under the influence of inclusions and sensitization was studied in the context of preferential corrosion of SS weldments due to microbial action. Detailed characterization of biofilms formed on titanium (the likely condenser material for fast breeder reactors) after exposure for two years in Kalpakkam coastal waters revealed intense biofouling and biomineralization of manganese even in chlorinated seawater. Studies on the effectiveness of conventional fouling control strategies were also evaluated. Originality/value The detailed studies of different metal/biofilm/microbe interactions demonstrated the physiological diversity of microbes in the biofilms that were formed on different materials, coupling their cooperative metabolic activities with consequent corrosion behaviour. These interactions could enhance either anodic or cathodic reactions and exploit metallurgical features that enhance biofilm formation and/or the capacity of microbes to mutate and overcome mitigation measures.

In the oil industry, microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is widespread in aspects such as oil extraction, transportation, and processing. This type of corrosion not only causes structural damage to metal materials, leading to the corrosion and damage of equipment like oil and gas pipelines, storage tanks, and drill rods, thereby shortening their service life, but it may also trigger safety accidents such as fires and explosions, resulting in significant economic losses and safety risks for the oil sector. This article reviews the determination and detection of microbial corrosion, monitoring methods, and the current state of research on various corrosion prevention and control methods. It emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages of different prevention and control methods and their specific effectiveness. Furthermore, it summarizes and prospects the future development trends and challenges faced by MIC prevention and control, aiming to provide some references and guidance for the research on microbial corrosion control.