By Emily Johnson
Thousands of industries worldwide are creating strategies to invest more in sustainable programs and products. With just as much capacity to embrace some of these eco-friendly practices, the pool and spa industry is no different to this idea. Due to their extraordinary abilities to break down many types of contaminants, the industry constantly examines ways to expand its range of specialty products utilizing enzymes and surfactants.
For many veteran pool operators, the use of these technologies is not new. For pool professionals, more potential tools can be recommended to customers to help keep pools looking and operating at their full potential. Not all pool problems are a result of inadequate sanitizer residuals. Some water quality issues might require a prescription of a polymeric or chitosan-based clarifier for hazy water, or other creative solutions beyond oxidizing. Chemicals used to clean or maintain pools do not need to have killing properties to be effective. Since many water quality issues stem from organic contaminants rather than biological ones, products containing specialized enzymes can work wonders.
The importance of cleanliness
Swimmers and bathers bring all kinds of organic nuisances to the water from their suntanning products, bather wastes, makeup, body lotions, and sweat. Environmental factors, such as animals and weather events, bring other unpleasant materials to the water as well. It is a commonly accepted standard in the pool and spa industry that each bather leaves behind about 473 mL (16 oz) of organic waste in a single hour-long session. Pool enjoyers want to relax in their peaceful aquatic oases but remaining on top of efforts to keep them clean is essential. If pool owners do not allow sticks or leaves to linger in their pool, they should not allow unseen material to accumulate either.
Most organic waste goes mostly unnoticed as it floats along at the surface, which results in unappealing scum lines along the waterline or skimmer. Dirt and debris become trapped in these oils and greases, which can pass through the skimmer, collect on the filter, and can foul and clog the filter rapidly. Not only will cleaning improve the esthetics of the water, employing proper cleaning habits can also protect the pool’s surface or skimmer from needing expensive repairs or replacements. Sanitizers are consumed as they destroy most of those contaminants, leading to a demand in chlorine. Supplemental products are more appropriate to reduce these contaminants into more manageable forms, allowing the sanitizer to focus on killing bacteria.
What are enzymes and how do they work?
Enzymes have been used for many years in household cleaners and laundry products to treat specific types of stains. The human body require them to digest food or medications. They can even be used to clean up after industrial oil spills. Considering the variety of uses for enzymes, there is no reason they should not be used in pools and spas. While enzymes are certainly not new to the industry, they unfortunately are not recommended as often as they should be.
Enzymes are proteins which catalyze the chemical breakdown of other substances, without being destroyed or altered. They are highly specialized and only seek out certain targets, or “substrates,” which eventually transform into a new form, or “product.” Their complex structures have amino acids chains which break down their substrates with little energy expense. When enzymes move throughout water and collide with non-living compounds, the formed complex is broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. These more manageable forms of the substrate can be removed by the filter, while the remaining enzyme is able to move on to its next target.
