Slime control in paper mill using biological agents as biocides

The environmental conditions of paper mills are suitable for the growth of slime-forming microorganisms due to the supply of nutrients, favorable temperature, and moisture. The slime formation causes the spoilage of raw materials & additives, breaks in the paper during papermaking, loss of production, reduces the hygienic quality of the end products, produces off-spec and rejected products, creates microbiological corrosion, and produces harmful gases. The main microorganisms are Bacteria (mainly Bacillus spp., Achromobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Clostridium, etc.), Fungi (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Saccharomyces, etc.), and Algae. Besides the use of conventional toxic chemical biocides or slimicides, slime formation can also be controlled in an eco-friendly way using enzymes, bacteriophages, biodispersants, and biocontrol agents alone or along with biocides to remove the slime. Enzymes have shown their effectiveness over conventional chemicals due to nontoxic and biodegradable nature to provide clean and sustainable technology. Globally enzymes are being used at some of the paper mills and many enzymatic products are presently being prepared and under the trail at laboratory scale. The specificity of enzymes to degrade a specific substrate is the main drawback of controlling the mixed population of microorganisms present in slime. The enzyme has the potential to provide the chemical biocide-free solution as a useful alternative in the future with the development of new technologies. Microorganisms control in the paper mill may appear as a costly offer but the cost of uncontrolled microbial growth can be much higher leading to slime production and large economic drain.

Total solution for RO system with our RO chemical line up

Water shortages around the world pose a challenge to all living beings, as well as to humanity's abilityto sustain a high quality of life. Reverse osmosis (RO) technology, such as seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation, has become one solution for preventing water shortages. Improving the operation of RO facilities can increase water production. Kurita Water Industries Ltd. has more than 40 years' experience in engineering, operations and maintenance, and optimization of RO facilities, and today we assist RO operators to improve operating conditions with our KURIVERTER™ Treatment Program, which consists of unique chemicals for stable operation of RO systems. The treatment includes maintenance chemicals (for example, scale inhibitors and slime control agents) and emergency chemicals, such as membrane deterioration. This paper introduces case studies of KURIVERTER™ IK-110 with S.sensing™ B equipment to minimize biological fouling that causes downtime, and also the KURIVERTER™ RC series to recover deteriorated RO membrane performance. The key technology behind the KURIVERTER™ Treatment Program is our specialty product, the KURIVERTER™ IK-110 with S.sensing™ B. Using these technologies, an actual RO facility achieved a 14% production increase and a 28% unit cost reduction for permeate. The KURIVERTER™ RC series could recover damaged RO membranes at commercial plants and prolong their effectiveness for more than 3 months at a cost reduction of 60%.

The slippery business of slime control

What do that scummy feeling on your teeth in the morning, corrosion of oil and gas pipelines, and the slick film building up on the mystery food in the back of your refrigerator have in common? They are all manifestations of microbial slime, which is the result of bacteria growing as a community on a surface held together in an extracellular matrix. These are more commonly referred to as biofilms, which we constantly encounter in everyday life. Bacteria seem to favour growing as biofilms because this provides a range of distinct advantages, including better access to nutrients that partition to surfaces, protection from external stresses such as UV and inhibitors produced by competing microorganisms, and resistance to protozoan grazing that is otherwise one of the main mortality factors for bacteria.