438 Innovative Water Treatment Chemistry with Matheus Paschoalino
Release Date: 09/19/2025
438 Innovative Water Treatment Chemistry with Matheus Paschoalino
Scaling UP! H2O
Can a carbon-negative, bio-based molecule replace legacy phosphonates and help you use less azole—without sacrificing corrosion performance? In this episode, host , welcomes Senior Business Development Manager and Microbial Control SME of , to unpack polyhydroxycarboxylic acids (PHCs) and how they’re changing cooling-water programs from the field up. We cover HEDP replacement in light-duty systems, azole enhancement in copper-challenged waters, a second-generation cut for heavy-duty heat flux, and PHC behavior with oxidizers and non-oxidizer biocides. From Bioforge to Basin:...
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437 Redefining HR: The Key to Talent & Culture in Water Treatment
Scaling UP! H2O
What if HR wasn’t the department you dreaded — but the partner that helped your team thrive? In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore welcomes , HR Director at , to explore how human resources can be a strategic driver of talent, culture, and profitability in the water treatment industry. Redefining HR’s Role Tia shares her journey into water treatment and how she built HOH’s HR department from the ground up. Instead of treating HR as a compliance function, she reframed it as a leadership partner—focused on employee connections, transparent...
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436 Raising the Bar: Legionella Management & Industry Standards
Scaling UP! H2O
With those words, Jemma Tennant highlights one of the most profound differences between Legionella management in Europe and the United States. In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore welcomes , Chair of the Water Management Society (WMSoc), to explore how legislation, enforcement, and professional training shape the fight against Legionella. Proactive Regulation and Duty of Care The UK treats Legionella as a foreseeable and preventable risk. Jemma explains how laws like the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH Regulations require mandatory Legionella risk...
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435 Optimizing Legionella Control Strategies with Dr. Vincenzo Romano Spica
Scaling UP! H2O
Legionella remains one of the most complex challenges for water professionals worldwide. How do we balance effective monitoring with realistic costs—and which strategies deliver true public health impact? In this episode, Trace Blackmore welcomes Head Public Health University of Rome "Foro Italico to explore new insights from his comparative research on Legionella control. Reframing Legionella Risk Dr. Spica explains why public health data increasingly points to Legionella pneumophila—not all Legionella species—as the primary concern for human health. He shares how...
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434 Encore Interview with Patsy Root
Scaling UP! H2O
“Rules written in a panic rarely stand the test of time.” In this encore episode, Trace Blackmore welcomes back , Senior Manager of Government Affairs at IDEXX Water and active member of the AWT Legislative and Regulatory Committee. Patsy brings global data, case studies, and clear recommendations for smarter Legionella regulation — and why a targeted focus on Legionella pneumophila can save both lives and resources. From Outbreaks to Proactive Policies Patsy unpacks a central truth: most regulations emerge reactively, often after a high-profile outbreak. Drawing on...
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433 Legionella Investigations and LIDO Technology
Scaling UP! H2O
What if preventing Legionella outbreaks wasn’t about adding more chemicals, but removing what the bacteria needs to survive? In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore talks with Dr. David Krause, Certified Industrial Hygienist, toxicologist, and founder of HC3, about his groundbreaking approach — LIDO (Legionella Inhibition by Deoxygenation). Legionella on the Rise Dr. Krause has investigated high-profile Legionella outbreaks and seen firsthand how current prevention strategies often fall short. Despite ASHRAE 188 standards, CMS requirements, and increasing water...
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432 Water Management Plans: Evolving Standards and Best Practices with Matt Freije
Scaling UP! H2O
"Just because you have a water management plan doesn’t mean it’s working." That’s the hard truth Matt Freije, founder and CEO of HC Info, delivers in this episode of Scaling UP! H2O. As the architect behind LAMPS — a leading cloud-based platform for water management programs — Matt joins Trace Blackmore to explore the critical evolution of water safety, compliance standards, and real-world implementation challenges facing facilities in 2025. Beyond the Binder: Water Management Plans That Actually Work In an era of heightened awareness and shifting regulations,...
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431 Legionella Awareness Month Kickoff!
Scaling UP! H2O
Are You Ready to Talk About Legionella? Every August, we dedicate an entire month to a topic that touches public health, liability, and the core of what water treaters do — yet it’s still misunderstood by many: Legionella. In this episode, Trace Blackmore kicks off Legionella Awareness Month by returning to the basics. Where did Legionella get its name? What makes it dangerous? And why is there still confusion between a water treatment program and a water management plan? Tracing It Back: History, Misconceptions, and Missed Conversations Trace opens with the 1976...
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430 PFAS Regulations and Technologies with Brian Liotta
Scaling UP! H2O
“The winning combination will include not just removal—but real destruction of PFAS.” - Brian Liotta PFAS: The Invisible Challenge Reshaping Water Treatment PFAS chemicals are everywhere—from consumer products to our bloodstream. But as regulations tighten, water treatment professionals must now evolve faster than ever. In this episode of Scaling UP! H2O, host Trace Blackmore speaks with , Director of Marketing and Product Development at , about the shifting regulatory landscape and the advanced technologies being developed to monitor, remove, and destroy PFAS compounds. ...
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429 The Life and Career of Jim Lukanich
Scaling UP! H2O
“You can’t learn it all in one year. You can’t even learn it all in ten.” That single statement from Jim Lukanich captures the spirit of this unforgettable episode. Returning to the for the first time since Episode 10, joins host to reflect on a remarkable 44-year career in the water treatment industry. From his early days at U.S. Steel to leading technical innovation at Buckman Laboratories, ChemCal, U.S. Water, and Kurita, Jim has been a force for mentorship, learning, and raising the bar in technical excellence. Building a Career, One Problem at a Time Jim...
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Can a carbon-negative, bio-based molecule replace legacy phosphonates and help you use less azole—without sacrificing corrosion performance? In this episode, host Trace Blackmore, CWT, welcomes Matheus Paschoalino, PhD Senior Business Development Manager and Microbial Control SME of Solugen, to unpack polyhydroxycarboxylic acids (PHCs) and how they’re changing cooling-water programs from the field up. We cover HEDP replacement in light-duty systems, azole enhancement in copper-challenged waters, a second-generation cut for heavy-duty heat flux, and PHC behavior with oxidizers and non-oxidizer biocides.
From Bioforge to Basin: How PHCs Are Made and Why It Matters
Paschoalino explains Solugen’s chemo-enzymatic “Bioforge” approach that oxidizes sugars (corn-syrup feedstock) into PHCs with very high yield and no practical byproducts—a pathway validated as carbon-negative. He outlines how different “cuts” (monoacid-rich vs. diacid-rich) map to different use cases, and notes current manufacturing capacity and adoption across hundreds of towers.
Replacing HEDP in Light-Duty Programs
For hospitals, HVAC, and other light-duty systems, PHCs have fully replaced HEDP as the anodic corrosion inhibitor while keeping PBTC for scale, enabling lower total phosphorus formulations with equal or better performance compared to status-quo organics.
Azole Enhancement, Free Copper, and Real-World Cost
Field work showed PHCs chelate metals quickly, protecting azole demand when free copper is present (e.g., after oxidizer flushing) and reducing expensive azole overdosing. One university case dropped an adjunct 8-ppm azole feed by pairing the base 3–4 ppm azole with PHC, yielding both corrosion control and lower discharge costs.
Second-Generation PHCs for Heavy-Duty Heat Flux (Toward “Neutral Phosphorus”)
At higher heat flux and stabilized-phosphate conditions, a diacid-rich second-generation PHC proved more stable, enabling orthophosphate reduction and opening a path toward “neutral phosphorus” programs that leverage background phosphate in municipal make-up. Bench data also show synergy with trace metals (e.g., zinc).
Biocide Potentiation and Where It Works Best
PHCs remain stable with oxidizers like chlorine dioxide and bleach. Their most compelling synergy shows up with non-oxidizers and peracetic acid (PAA): as a biocide potentiator, PHCs can reduce the need to overdose actives such as THPS, glutaraldehyde, quats, and DBNPA by first complexing interfering metals (e.g., Fe/FeS), letting the biocide perform as intended.
Not “Bug Food”: Pilot Cooling Towers and Oxidizer Demand
To address the industry’s biggest concern with bio-based chemistries, Solugen ran side-by-side outdoor pilot cooling towers under identical bleach control. Result: comparable oxidizer usage and consistently low counts versus HEDP—evidence that PHCs don’t fuel biofilm.
Chelation Mechanics, Polymer Savings, and White Rust
PHCs chelate beyond acid-group stoichiometry thanks to multiple hydroxyls and conformational effects—critical for controlling dissolved metals and protecting films. In stressed heat-flux/chlorine conditions, PHCs reduced calcium-phosphate fouling versus HEDP, often allowing polymer dosage cuts. Early data also show promise for white-rust mitigation on galvanized systems, with the diacid-rich cut delivering the strongest reductions.
For practitioners, the message is pragmatic: PHCs aren’t “lab curiosities.” They’re fielded at scale, enabling lower-phosphorus programs, protecting costly azole inventories, widening the operational window under oxidizer stress, and potentiating select biocides—while staying compatible with common metals. If you manage cooling assets under cost, compliance, and performance pressure, this episode gives you a clear technical playbook to evaluate.
Listen now, review the papers in the show notes, and test a pilot where it counts—on your heat exchangers.
Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:15 - Trace Blackmore shares a quick personal open: spotting the Goodyear Blimp (100th anniversary), using memories as fuel rather than limits, and a mindset reset around the word “can’t.”
06:42 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals
09:23 - Water You Know with James McDonald
11:41 - Interview with Matheus Paschoalino, Senior Business Development Manager and Microbial Control SME of Solugen
12:02 - HEDP replacement in light-duty programs; lower total phosphorus without losing performance
19:13 - Heavy-duty heat flux: second-generation (diacid-rich) PHCs and reducing orthophosphate
20:39 - “Neutral phosphorus” approach
27:42 - Biocide potentiation: synergy with PAA; strongest effects with non-oxidizers (e.g., THPS)
33:03 - “Bug food?” Pilot side-by-side cooling towers (Houston)
37:39 - HEDP systems fouled with calcium phosphate while PHC system showed only minor patching (CTI paper)
41:44 - Early evidence: white-rust mitigation on galvanized systems (seeking field partners)
Quotes
“Use your past as history, not as a limiter.” - Trace Blackmore
“Plan where you’ll be; you never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.” - Trace Blackmore
“First-gen PHCs let us replace HEDP in light-duty programs and keep performance with lower total phosphorus.” - Matheus Paschoalino
“Non-oxidizing biocides work best with PHCs—we target the metals first so you stop over-dosing the biocide.” - Matheus Paschoalino
“We like to be very conservative… we start with the laboratory; we start with light duty. Now we are going to heavy duty.”
Connect with Matheus Paschoalino, PhD 
Phone: 14847193979
Email: [email protected]
Website: Home - New - Solugen | Solugen
LinkedIn: Matheus P. Paschoalino, PhD | LinkedIn
Guest Resources Mentioned
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Water You Know with James McDonald
Question: Back in the day, what was the treatment used for corrosion inhibition in cooling water systems that was banned around 1985 in the United States from widespread use due to its toxicological impact?
2025 Events for Water Professionals
Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
