BioBullets for control of industrial biofoulers

BioBullets Ltd has a patented product concept for control of invasive zebra and quagga mussels. These pests are some of the world’s most economically and ecologically damaging invaders, blocking pipes, fouling heat exchangers and altering ecosystems. Annual costs to the US economy total c.£2bn (10 to 9). Chlorine is the most widely used control product but requires prolonged dosing (3-4 weeks) as mussels sense the toxin and close their valves. Resultant impacts on water quality and the environment are considerable. Tightening restrictions around permissible chlorine dosing regimes has created an urgent need for an alternative product. The ‘BioBullet’ is safe to use, environmentally friendly, and cheaper. The innovation lies in encapsulating active ingredients in edible products which the mussels ingest without closing their valves. Encapsulation facilitates substitution of chlorine with an active that is safe for use in drinking water, and far less product is required than dosing the active freely in the water. Uneaten BioBullets degrade to harmless concentrations 1hr after entering the water and do not bioaccumulate. This consortium has conducted the R and D required to bring this product to market, including formulation optimisation, three full scale field trials, and creation of a plant to support the above R&D and to achieve manufacturing repeatability.