초록 ▼

Biogenic sulfide production is synergistically inhibited by treating sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with a biocide and a metabolic inhibitor. The biocide directly kills a first portion of the SRB. The metabolic inhibitor inhibits sulfate-reducing growth of a second portion of the SRB without direct

Biogenic sulfide production is synergistically inhibited by treating sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with a biocide and a metabolic inhibitor. The biocide directly kills a first portion of the SRB. The metabolic inhibitor inhibits sulfate-reducing growth of a second portion of the SRB without directly killing the second portion of the SRB. The treatment of SRB with both a biocide and a metabolic inhibitor provides effective biogenic sulfide inhibition at significantly lower concentrations than would be required if the biocide or metabolic inhibitor was used alone.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method of inhibiting sulfide production by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), said method comprising the step of contacting the SRB with a combination of: (a) a first concentration of a non-oxidizing biocide component, wherein said biocide component is selected from the group

What is claimed is: 1. A method of inhibiting sulfide production by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), said method comprising the step of contacting the SRB with a combination of: (a) a first concentration of a non-oxidizing biocide component, wherein said biocide component is selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, acrolein, quaternary amine compounds, cocodiamine, bronopol, 2-2-dibromo-3-nitrilo-propionamide (DBNPA), isothiazolone, carbamates, metronidazole, and combinations of one or more thereof, wherein said first concentration is less than about 90% of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the biocide component; and (b) a second concentration of a metabolic inhibitor component, selected from the group consisting of nitrite, molybdate, tungstate, selenate, anthraquinone and combinations of one or more thereof, wherein said second concentration is less than about 90% of the MIC of the metabolic inhibitor component, thereby producing a synergistic effect on inhibiting sulfide production by the SRB as compared with either component alone. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second concentrations is less than about 50% of its MIC. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second concentrations are both less than about 75% of their respective MICs. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second concentrations is less than about 25% of its MIC. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said first and second concentrations are both less than about 50% of their respective MICs. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second concentrations is less than 20% of its MIC. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said first and second concentrations are both less than about 35% of their respective MICs. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said second concentration is in the range of from about 0.1 mM to about 3 mM. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said first concentration is less than about 50% of the MIC of the biocide component. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said biocide component is a combination of more than one individual biocide and/or said metabolic inhibitor component is a combination of more than one individual metabolic inhibitor. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said biocide component comprises substantially no tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS). 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said biocide component comprises glutaraldehyde and said metabolic inhibitor component comprises nitrite. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said biocide component consists essentially of glutaraldehyde and said metabolic inhibitor component consists essentially of nitrite. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein component (a) directly kills a first portion of the SRB and component (b) inhibits sulfate-reducing growth of a second portion of the SRB without directly killing the second portion of the SRB. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein components (a) and (b) are administered substantially continuously and said first and second concentrations are average concentrations over time. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein components (a) and (b) are administered intermittently and said first and second concentrations are average concentrations over time. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: prior to administering components (a) and (b), combining the biocide component or a precursor of the biocide component and the metabolic inhibitor component or a precursor of the metabolic inhibitor component in a treated medium. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein administering components (a) and (b) includes contacting the SRB with the treated medium. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein said treated medium is an aqueous-based medium. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein said treated medium comprises at least about 50% water by weight. 21. The method of claim 17, wherein said treated medium comprises in the range of from about 0.1 mM to about 3 mM nitrite. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said treated medium comprises in the range of from about 0.1 mM to about 3 mM glutaraldehyde.