Dripping Wet Water, Inc. applications

Immuno-compromised individuals are most susceptible to waterborne pathogens. In some countries, regulations require hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities to have a Legionella and pathogen control program in place. In other countries, industry guidelines strongly recommend such programs. In either case, the use of Chlorine Dioxide is supported as part of these pathogen control programs.

Chlorine Dioxide is ideal for disinfection of potable water storage tanks. These tanks are typically located in hospitals, commercial buildings, and other places where low pressure may exist or where loss of water cannot be tolerated. Bacteria-harboring biofilm is commonplace in these storage vessels, as the chlorine from the make-up water is insufficient to prevent its growth. New York has even legislated that storage tanks must be cleaned and disinfected annually. Chlorine Dioxide is the best biocide to remove the biofilm during these cleaning cycles and to prevent its regrowth on an ongoing basis.

It only takes 6 mils of biofilm thickness to decrease heat transfer by 12%. This means that more power is consumed to achieve the same amount of cooling. Eliminate the biofilm, and cooling towers return to their peak performance. However, once a biofilm has been established, mechanical cleaning cannot remove all traces of it. In fact, mechanically cleaned surfaces are more rapidly colonized than new surfaces. The best solution for a cooling tower that is not operating on a Chlorine Dioxide biocide program is to clean it with a CLO2IX® Portable System and then prevent the recolonization of the biofilm with a permanently installed CLO2IX® system.

Chlorine Dioxide, as a dissolved gas in solution, will pass through membranes to provide biofilm protection both upstream and downstream of the membranes. Chlorine Dioxide produced by CLO2IX® systems is chlorine free, ozone free, and will not attack TFC membranes. Cleaning cycles can be reduced greatly by feeding < 0.2 mg/l into the RO feed water, either continuously or intermittently as the application dictates.

Chlorine Dioxide is now gaining acceptance as a cost effective alternative to nonoxidizing biocides in chilled water loops. This is largely due to the low corrosivity, selective reactivity, and the low dosages required to keep systems operating cleanly. The unique quality of the product from the CLO2IX® generator and the ease of use make it an attractive choice for automatic or manual dosing to chilled water loops. However, Chlorine Dioxide must be used according to best practices that recognize the singular properties of the biocide.

Water scarcity in certain parts of the country has caused some industries and large water users to look at reusing water. However, reuse water comes with its own set of microbiological problems. Chlorine, which is typically used to disinfect reuse water, does not achieve the microbiological purity necessary for most commercial and industrial applications. Chlorine Dioxide is a natural for point-of-use disinfection where microbiological purity is required.