Biocidal compositions and method of treating water using thereof

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of treating an aqueous system inhibits growth of one or more micro-organisms therein and/or reduces the number of live micro-organisms therein. The method includes adding treatment agents to an aqueous system wherein said treatment agents include a phosphonium compound and a hypohalite compound. In one embodiment, the phosphonium compound includes tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC) and the hypohalite compound includes sodium hypochlorite.

1 . A method of treating an aqueous system to inhibit growth of one or more micro-organisms therein and/or to reduce the number of live micro-organisms therein, wherein the method comprises adding treatment agents to an aqueous system and wherein said treatment agents comprise:
 (a) a phosphonium compound; and   (b) a hypohalite compound.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC). 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC) and wherein the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises treating an aqueous system to inhibit growth of anaerobic bacteria and/or to reduce the number of live anaerobic bacteria therein. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises treating an aqueous system to inhibit growth of aerobic bacteria and/or to reduce the number of live aerobic bacteria therein. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises treating an aqueous system to inhibit growth of facultative anaerobic bacteria and/or to reduce the number of live facultative anaerobic bacteria therein. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises treating an aqueous system having a total dissolved solids (TDS) of 1000 mg l −1  or greater, and wherein:
 the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC);   the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite;   the combination of TTPC and sodium hypochlorite is synergistic and is added to the aqueous system in amounts configured to inhibit growth of  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  and/or reduce the number of live  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  in the aqueous system;   the amounts of the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite are selected in a weight ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:50;   the amount of TTPC is at least 1 part by weight per one million parts by weight of said aqueous system (ppm) and the amount of sodium hypochlorite is at least 1 ppm; and   the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite shows greater performance of inhibiting growth and/or reducing the number of bacteria than the sum of said treatment agents' individual performance.   
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises treating an aqueous system having a total dissolved solids (TDS) of 10,000 mg l −1  or greater, and wherein:
 the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC);   the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite;   the combination of TTPC and sodium hypochlorite is synergistic and is added to the aqueous system in amounts configured to inhibit growth of  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  and/or reduce the number of live  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  in the aqueous system;   the amounts of the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite are selected in a weight ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:50;   the amount of TTPC is at least 0.1 parts by weight per one million parts by weight of said aqueous system (ppm) and the amount of sodium hypochlorite is selected such that the free sodium hypochlorite in said aqueous system is at least 0.1 ppm; and   the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite shows greater performance of inhibiting growth and/or reducing the number of bacteria than the sum of said treatment agents' individual performance.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises adding said phosphonium compound to said aqueous system in an amount of at least 0.1 ppm, and wherein the method comprises adding said hypohalite compound to said aqueous system in an amount of at least 0.1 ppm. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises adding sodium hypochlorite to an aqueous system such that the applied amount of sodium hypochlorite is at least 10 ppm. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises adding sodium hypochlorite to an aqueous system such that the free sodium hypochlorite in said aqueous system is at least 0.1 ppm. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises adding compound (a) and compound (b) to the aqueous system such that they are present in a combined amount of from 0.1 to 1000 parts by weight per one million parts by weight of said aqueous system (ppm), and wherein the method comprises adding a phosphonium compound treatment agent and a hypohalite compound treatment agent to an aqueous system in a weight ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:50. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the aqueous system comprises 20,000 mg l −1  or greater total dissolved solids (TDS), wherein the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC), and wherein the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein:
 the combination of TTPC and sodium hypochlorite is synergistic and is added to the aqueous system in amounts configured to inhibit growth of  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  and/or reduce the number of live  Desulfovibrio vulgaris  and  Enterobacter aerogenes  in the aqueous system;   the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite is selected in a weight ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:50;   the amount of TTPC is at least 1 part by weight per one million parts by weight of said aqueous system (ppm) and the amount of sodium hypochlorite is selected such that the free sodium hypochlorite in said aqueous system is at least 0.1 ppm; and   the synergistic combination of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite shows greater performance of inhibiting growth or reducing the number of bacteria than the sum of said treatment agents' individual performance.   
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the aqueous system comprises 30,000 mg l  −1  or greater total dissolved solids (TDS), the phosphonium compound comprises tri n-butyl n-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC), the hypohalite compound comprises sodium hypochlorite, the amounts of the TTPC and the sodium hypochlorite are selected in a weight ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:20, the amount of TTPC is not more than 50 ppm, and the amount of sodium hypochlorite is not more than 250 ppm. 
     
     
         17 . An aqueous system incorporating a combination of:
 (i) a phosphonium compound; and   (ii) a hypohalite compound.   
     
     
         18 . The aqueous system of  claim 17 , wherein said aqueous system is an aqueous media. 
     
     
         19 . The aqueous system of  claim 17 , wherein said aqueous system is a biocidal composition. 
     
     
         20 . A method of inhibiting or preventing the growth of one or more micro-organisms in an aqueous media, wherein the method comprises adding treatment agents to an aqueous media and wherein said treatment agents comprise:
 (a) a phosphonium compound; and   (b) a hypohalite compound.