Verification of Effects of Alternative Electromagnetic Treatment on Control of Biofilm and Scale Formation by a New Laboratory Biofilm Reactor

What is it about?

Pipeworks for aqueous solution in industries mostly develop scales and corrosion products at inner walls, which leads to serious materials deterioration and decreased functions such as heat efficiencies. The phenomena often involve biofouling and biofilm. However, there are not so many research activities to focus on the relation, even though biofouling is followed by the scale formation. We authors have investigated the application of alternative electromagnetic field to control biofilm and biofouling successfully. However, the precise and detailed mechanism has been not clear yet. In this study, we focused on the pipeworks used for geothermal generation in hotspring resorts and their scale problems. The development of scale at the inner walls usual decreases the generating efficiency. We built a new desktop laboratory biofilm reactor specially and investigated the application effect of alternative electromagnetic field on the control of biofilm/biofouling for pipeworks of hotspring water.

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Why is it important?

The scale problem of pipeworks for geothermal generation systems can be also explained by biofilm where bacteria attached to the surface of inner wall form. The phenomena are similar with that found in usual cooling pipes etc. If this detrimental process would be related to biofouling, we should try to seek for the solution from the viewpoint.

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