Chemically-enhanced mechanical treatment of water

1 . A method for controlling the growth of microorganisms in water systems comprising the steps of:

a) adding an effective amount of at least one surfactant to the water system; and

b) treating the water system with a hydrodynamic-based water treatment device,

to inhibit the growth of the microorganisms.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrodynamic-based water treatment device creates hydrodynamic cavitation in the water passing through the hydrodynamic water treatment device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wherein the hydrodynamic-based water treatment device creates shear in the water passing through the hydrodynamic water treatment device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrodynamic-based water treatment device creates hydrodynamic cavitation and shear in the water passing through the hydrodynamic water treatment device.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the water is industrial process water.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of sucrose esters, sorbitan esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, alkyl glucosides, glycerol and polyglycerol esters, glycerol monostearate, polyethylene glycols, polypropylene glycols, cetyl alcohol, cetostearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, aryl alkyl polyether alcohols, polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene copolymers, polaxamines, methylcellulose, hydroxycellulose, hydroxy propylcellulose, hydroxy propylmethylcellulose, noncrystalline cellulose, polysaccharides, starch, starch derivatives, hydroxyethylstarch, polyvinyl alcohol, glyceryl esters, and polyvinylpyrrolidone, alkyl phenols, polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ethers, polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters, and alkanolamines and alkanolamides, stearamido propyl dimethyl amine, diethyl amino ethyl stearamide, dimethyl stearamine, dimethyl soyamine, soyamine, tridecyl amine, ethyl stearylamine, ethoxylated (2 moles ethylene oxide) stearylamine, dihydroxyethyl stearylamine, and arachidylbehenylamine.

8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the nonionic surfactant is a derivative of an amine salt selected from the group consisting of stearylamine hydrochloride, soyamine chloride, stearylamine formate, N-tallowpropane diamine dichloride, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine citrate, stearamido propyldimethyl amine, and guar hydroxypropyl triammonium chloride.

9 . The method of claim 6 wherein the nonionic surfactant has an HLB value in the range of 1 and 20.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the nonionic surfactant has an HLB value in the range of 2 to 10.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises at least one anionic surfactant.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the anionic surfactant comprises a phospholipid selected from the group consisting of: phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, lysophospholipids, egg phospholipid and soybean phospholipid.

13 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises at least one amphoteric surfactant.

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein at least one amphoteric surfactant is selected from the group consisting of coco dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, lauryl dimethyl carboxy-methyl betaine, lauryl dimethyl alpha-carboxyethyl betaine, cetyl dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, lauryl bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)carboxy methyl betaine, stearyl bis-(2-hydroxypropyl)carboxymethyl, oleyl dimethyl gamma-carboxypropyl betaine, lauryl bis-(2-hydro-xypropyl)alpha-carboxyethyl betaine, coco dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine, stearyl dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine, amido betaines, and amidosulfobetaines.

15 . The method of claim 13 wherein at least one amphoteric surfactant is selected from the group consisting of derivatives of aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines in which the aliphatic radical can be straight chain or branched and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms and one of the aliphatic substituents contains an anionic water solubilizing group selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate, and phosphonate.

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises at least one cationic surfactant.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein at least one cationic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of are (hydrogenated tallow)benzyldimethylammonium chloride, coco(fractionated)benzyldimethylammonium chloride, cocoalkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride, cocobenzyldimethylammonium chloride, di(ethylene hexadecanecarboxylate)dimethylammonium chloride, di(hydrogenated tallow)benzylmethylammonium chloride, di(hydrogenated tallow)dimethylammonium chloride, dicocodimethylammonium chloride, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, dihexadecyl dimethylammonium chloride, dioctadecyl dimethylammonium chloride, dioctyidimethylammonium chloride, dioleyidimethylammonium chloride, N-octadecyl-N-dimethyl-N′-trimethyl-propylene-diammonium dichloride, octadecyl trimethylammonium chloride, stearyldimenthylbenzyl ammonium chloride, dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, nonylbenzylethyldimethyl ammonium nitrate, tetradecylpyridinium bromide, laurylpyridinium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, laurylpyridinium chloride, laurylisoquinolium bromide, ditallow(Hydrogenated)dimethyl ammonium chloride, dilauryldimethyl ammonium chloride, stearalkonium chloride, and tributyltetradecylphosphonium chloride.

18 . The method of claim 1 wherein two or more surfactants are added to the process water treated with a hydrodynamic water treatment device.

19 . The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of at least one surfactant added to the process water is in the range of 0.05 ppm to 100 ppm.

20 . The method of claim 1 wherein the flowrate through the hydrodynamic-based water treatment device is from about 50 gpm to about 1500 gpm.

21 . The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrodynamic-based water treatment operates at a pressure of from about 50 psi to about 200 psi.

22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the water system is a pulp and paper process system.