Water Treatment in Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

Abstract

Some of the variables that affect the growth of microorganisms include food/nutrient availability, temperature, pH, biocide concentrations, radiation, makeup water microorganism concentration, and predation. There are practical limitations to the types of activities that can be used to control microorganisms, for example, restricting the use of biocides or pH out of the range of water chemistry requirements. The first substances on a surface during biofilm formation are trace organics (2). Almost immediately after the clean pipe surface comes into contact with water, an organic layer deposits on the water/solid interface (3). These organics form a conditioning layer that neutralizes excessive surface charge and surface free energy that may prevent a bacterial cell from approaching near enough to initiate attachment. In addition, the absorbed organic molecules often serve as a nutrient source for bacteria.