Fileder Filter Systems supplies a variety of water products, such as cartridge filters and water treatment systems, to aid in all parts of water quality maintenance, including prevention of biofilm formation.
The control of water quality is an essential process in developed countries and the prevention and eradication of the biofilms that can form in pipes is a vital part of that control.
Water can contain many harmful contaminants, both natural (for example, microorganisms), and as a by-product of human activity (for example, pollutants), such as heavy metals.
Bacterial contaminants include Legionella, Pseudomonas and Salmonella, and parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These can be particularly harmful, causing sickness, disease and many severe health problems.
Other natural contaminants, such as mould spores, algae and rotifers, can cause similarly dangerous health problems.
What is not always appreciated is the role of other materials – scale, sediment and suspended organics, etc – that are found in water systems.
Biofilm formation is a multi-stage process, and if not controlled, the biofilm will allow bacteria and similar microorganisms to thrive
They can have a crucial role in creating the conditions for bacteria and other microorganisms to thrive in pipes and related parts of the system. They do this by helping to create biofilm.
Biofilm formation is a multi-stage process, and if not controlled, the biofilm will allow bacteria and similar microorganisms to thrive.
Scale formed from calcium and magnesium ions can create pockets for bacteria to thrive. Sediments can then stick to the pipe and scale and thus increase areas for bacterial growth.
The bacteria reproduce to form colonies, which are protected from temperature fluctuations and chemical treatments by the growing biofilm that contains the bacteria’s own secretions (‘slime’).
Parasites suspended in the water can also bind to the biofilm. Other organics will provide nutrients for bacteria and the other microorganisms to produce a quite complicated microenvironment.
As the bacteria become mature and the biofilm becomes detached, perhaps by the action of chlorine, a huge amount of bacteria can be released into the water stream.
Fileder Filter Systems specialises in all manner of filtration and water quality treatments aimed at ensuring biofilm formation is curtailed and even prevented.
The most effective strategies for control usually involve the use of more than one technology aimed initially at preventing scale and sediment deposition and thereby preventing bacteria from thriving in water systems.
The threat to the public from harmful bacteria, endotoxins and parasites can then be alleviated by physical filtration, ultraviolet light, biocides, ion-exchange and flushing regimes.
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