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BIOCIDES
A
biocide
is a chemical substance capable of killing living organisms,
usually in a selective way. Biocides are commonly used in
medicine, agriculture, forestry, and in industry where they
prevent the fouling of water and oil pipelines.
Some substances used as biocides are also employed as
anti-fouling agents or disinfectants under other circumstances:
chlorine, for example, is used as a short-life biocide in
industrial water treatment but as a disinfectant in swimming
pools.
Biocides are usually slug fed to a system to
bring about rapid effective population reductions from which the
microrganisms cannot easily recover. There are various different
biocides, some of which have a wide range of effect on many
different kinds of bacteria. They can be divided up into
oxidising agents and non-oxidising agents.
Oxidising agents:
Chlorine
Chlorine dioxide
Hypochlorite
Ozone
Non-oxidising agents:
Dibromopropionide
Isothiazalone
Gluteraldehyde
Bronopol
Quaternary ammonium salts
In many cases oxidising agents are not
effective biocides. Non-oxidising agents are then applied.
Watermation
Ltd supply and advise on the use of biocides depending on the
specific application.
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