MICROORGANISMS INSTEAD OF BIOCIDES FOR COOLING WATER PURIFICATION

Berlin: (hib/HAU) Michael Simon, Technical Director at BlueActivity GmbH, presented an innovative concept for the water treatment of evaporative cooling systems to the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development on Wednesday. The idea of treating the cooling water with microorganisms instead of biocides ensures lower water consumption and better wastewater quality, thus bringing ecological and economic benefits, said Simon. Also invited to the meeting was Thilo Panzerbieter, founder and managing director of the German Toilet Organisation and spokesperson for the WASH network, which consists of 29 German non-governmental organisations that focus on development cooperation or humanitarian emergency and transitional aid and are active in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Panzerbieter criticised the German government for not making sufficient use of its political weight in the global water supply sector.

BlueActivity representative Simon promoted the idea of using ‘good bacteria’ instead of biocides such as chlorine and salts to purify water in the industrial sector. Around three quarters of water use in Germany is accounted for by industry, said Simon. Around 85 per cent of this is used for cooling systems in production and power generation. In order to prevent microbial contamination of cooling water, as required by the Ordinance on Evaporative Cooling Systems, Cooling Towers and Wet Separators (42nd BImSchV), more than two million tonnes of biocides, petroleum-based polymers and phosphates are used in Germany every year.

However, they can only treat symptoms. The unwanted germs would form again after a short time and become more resistant. As a result, more and more biocide has to be added to the cooling water, which leads to microbial resistance, damage to biodiversity, inefficient cooling systems as a result of increased microbial deposits and increased water consumption. Last but not least, contaminated wastewater would also increase the costs of treatment and thus ultimately the price of water.
However, according to Simon, using microorganisms instead of biocides would replace environmentally harmful hazardous substances by 100 per cent, reduce water treatment costs by 47 per cent and cut water consumption by 38 per cent. ‘This gives us both an economic and an ecological advantage,’ he said.

There are already positive areas of application. Although the industry is very positive about the idea, there are still considerable doubts among authorisation authorities about the use of bacteria. Wrongly, as Simon said. Only ‘good bacteria’ would be used in homeopathic doses. There is no legal hurdle standing in the way of authorisation, he said. Rather, it was a knowledge gap in the authorities. The Technical Director at BlueActivity GmbH asked the MPs to support this ‘innovative idea’. It needs to be publicised. Fears of the microorganisms also need to be dispelled. ‘There is probiotic yoghurt – we even eat it,’ said Simon.

Water and sanitation are human rights, WASH representative Panzerbieter emphasised at the beginning of his presentation. It is a central element of services of general interest and at the same time an indispensable foundation for sustainable and communal development, he emphasised. Nevertheless, the current situation is unacceptable. Although the climate crisis is manifesting itself as a water crisis, only three per cent of global climate financing goes to the water sector, even though 90 per cent of extreme weather events are water-related and there is a risk of a 40 per cent shortfall in the amount of fresh water required by 2030.

The effects of the global water crisis can be felt everywhere – from droughts in the Sahel region to flooding in the Ahr valley. The increasing scarcity of water is also increasingly leading to conflicts, some of which are also being fought militarily. Water is being misused as a weapon of war, as in Ukraine, said Panzerbieter.

He therefore emphasised the need for a water turnaround. Access must be created for those who were previously unsupplied. Panzerbieter also called for water use to be regulated in accordance with human rights and for water and sanitation systems to be closed. Germany must utilise its political weight in the sector to a greater extent, the expert demanded. ‘Now is precisely the time to take political initiatives at a global level,’ he said. Unfortunately, however, there is currently no sign of the expansion of WASH as announced in the coalition agreement.