QGO-M Test Program Set-up

Inserting ATP analyses into your standard measurement and monitoring programs is easy and provides powerful information about microbiological quality. Since industrial biocides kill microorganisms by a variety of mechanisms, the effect on ATP concentration may range from minutes to hours, depending on the type of biocide and its dosage. Since ATP analyses can be completed within minutes, several tests can be done to track the effectiveness of treatment over time.

Prior to using ATP monitoring to assess biocide treatment, consider the following factors:

• Application frequency – Some systems treat using a slug feed approach while others treat continuously. This will decide how frequently to test the effectiveness of the treatment.

• Biocide dosage – This depends on factors such as the size of the system, the degree of microbial content present, and the type and application frequency as described above.

• Type of biocide – Active ingredients are sometimes alternated to minimize the chances of development of resistant microorganisms. For example, an oxidizing biocide may be used routinely with a weekly shock treatment of non-oxidizing biocide.

By changing these variables and observing the effect on ATP, the optimum program can be defined.

In some cases, microbial growth monitoring is done as a PASS/FAIL tests for quality control. In situations such as these where biocides cannot be used, the action levels listed in the Data Analysis and Interpretation of Results section (provide link) give a starting point for assessing what can be deemed acceptable and what should be discarded.