Alternative method for monitoring the effect of inhibitors on sulfate reduction.

Abstract
A radiotracer technique using 35SO4 is presented as an alternative method for testing the efficacy of inhibitors of sulfate-reducing bacteria under environmental conditions. This method is compared with 2 other conventional techniques for evaluating biocide efficacy by testing microorganism survival. Differences between the methods are described. The radiotracer techniques gives a direct measure of the sulfate reduction rate and by using it the effect of inhibitors can be evaluated in situ. This method should be considered when choosing a test for the effects of biocides.