Assessing Biocide Treatment Program Through Integrated Microbiological Audits

Seawater injection facilities are complex environments prone to biofouling and microbiologically influenced corrosion. This study details a comprehensive microbiological audit of a major seawater treatment facility to characterize the microbial population of the whole facility and evaluate efficacy of the incumbent biocide treatment program. By integrating adenosine triphosphate measurements, culture-based methods, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and next-generation sequencing, the research identifies the specific microbial populations present and tracks their response to treatment. The results demonstrate how integrated data provide a superior assessment of biocide performance compared to traditional monitoring. This multi-faceted strategy enables operators to optimize chemical programs by accurately targeting the actual microbial community within the network.