Antimicrobial anodized aluminum surfaces for safer cooling water towers

湿式冷却塔使用水进行冷却，用于许多大型工业过程和商业建筑HVAC系统中，以快速有效地去除废热。湿式冷却塔的运行所产生的一个主要问题是它们受到微生物的污染，包括军团菌，它通过暴露于含有细菌的雾滴而导致人类感染军团菌病。因此，迫切需要开发能够防止工业过程，特别是湿式冷却塔被有害细菌污染的技术。其合作伙伴PCP铝业公司（PCP aluminum）位于加拿大魁省英萨格奈（inSaguenay），该公司开发了一项专利技术，可形成抗菌阳极氧化铝表面（A3S）。其过程涉及形成可装载安全抗菌剂的多孔氧化铝层；即季铵盐和银盐。PCP铝已经证明了他们的A3S材料在干燥条件下对一系列细菌的抗菌活性。然而，他们公司特有的挑战是证明A3S材料在潮湿操作条件下是否具有抗菌和抗污活性。麦吉尔大学Nathalie Tufenkji教授的团队在生物膜、抗菌材料和材料特性研究方面具有专业知识。她将与PCPAluminium合作，演示A3S材料在与冷却水塔相关的潮湿条件下的抗菌和抗生物污染活性。她还将与他们合作，使用最先进的技术来表征材料暴露于细菌后的物理和化学特性。这项研究将为A3S技术在更安全、更高效的冷却水塔设计中的潜在实施提供关键的概念验证数据。如果成功，这项研究项目将为这项新技术创造巨大的市场机会，使PCP铝业能够开发更安全的冷却塔技术。这将增加加拿大公司的盈利能力，同时有助于保护加拿大和国外人民的健康。

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.