BIOCIDES

A biocide is a chemical substance capable of killing living organisms, usually in a selective way.

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.