Antimicrobial anodized aluminum surfaces for safer cooling water towers

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Wet cooling towers, that use water for cooling, are utilized in many large scale industrial processes andcommercial building HVAC systems for rapid and efficient removal of waste heat. A major problem arisingfrom the operation of wet cooling towers is their contamination with microorganisms, including Legionella,which causes Legionnaire's disease in humans via exposure to mist droplets containing the bacteria. Thus, thereis an urgent need to develop technologies that can prevent the contamination of industrial processes, andspecifically, wet cooling towers, by harmful bacteria. The partner organisation, PCP Aluminium, based inSaguenay, Québec, has developed a proprietary technology to form antimicrobial anodized aluminum surfaces(A3S). Their process involves the formation of a porous aluminum oxide layer that can be loaded with safeantimicrobial agents; namely, quaternary ammonium and silver salts. PCP Aluminium has demonstrated theantimicrobial activity of their A3S material in dry conditions against a series of bacteria. However, theircompany-specific challenge is to show whether the A3S material exhibits antimicrobial and antibiofoulingactivity under wet operating conditions. Professor Nathalie Tufenkji's team at McGill University has expertisein the study of biofilms, antimicrobial materials and material characterization. She will work with PCPAluminium to demonstrate the anti-bacterial and anti-biofouling activities of the A3S material under wetconditions relevant to cooling water towers. She will also work with them to characterize the physical andchemical properties of the material after exposure to bacteria using state-of-the-art techniques. This study willprovide critical proof-of-concept data for the potential implementation of the A3S technology in a safer andmore efficient cooling water tower design. If successful, this research project will thus create significant marketopportunities for this novel technology by enabling PCP Aluminium to develop safer cooling towertechnologies. This will increase profitability for the Canadian company, while contributing to protecting thehealth of people in Canada and abroad.