WRAPPED BY BACTERIA: BIOFILM DETECTION AND REMOVAL IN PAPER MILLS

Biofilm growth inside paper mill water lines is a major problem because bacteria can alter paper quality and damage machinery. To fight bacteria, large amounts of chemical substances are generally used, but without any link to real-world biofilm development. Hence, there is a strong need for a monitoring technology that can provide early warning to optimize cleaning treatments. Several biofilm monitoring approaches have been proposed over the years, but their application has been very limited. Recently, a new technology that can measure biofilm electrochemical activity has been successfully used in various fields. In this study, the performance of this sensor for fresh-water applications and in particular for paper mills has been evaluated both in the laboratory and in a real-world case. The results show that that by coupling standard biocide treatments with advanced on-line monitoring technologies, it is possible to keep track of chemicals and of their effectiveness toward biofilm.