A Comparative Study of Phosphonate and Phosphorus-Free Antiscalant Efficiency by Static and Dynamic Methods. Do We Have Reliable Tools For An Adequate Reagent Selection?

Scale formation in the oil and gas industry, evaporation plants, reverse osmosis desalination processes, steam generators, boilers, cooling water towers and pipes is a serious problem, causing significant plugging of wells, pipe-lines, membranes, and increasing the production expenses [1,2]. A widely used technique for controlling scale deposition is an application of chemical inhibitors [1-4]. Commonly used commercial antiscalants are represented by organophosphonates and numerous modifications of polyacrylates (PA). Among these the organophosphonates are dominating recently at the World market [5]. At the same time phosphorus-based inhibitors are hardly biodegradable and persist for many years after their disposal, which leads to eutrofication problems. Phosphorus discharges are therefore regulated in many countries worldwide, and permissible limits are constantly decreasing.