Our method uses the encapsulation of an active ingredient (KCI) in microscopic particles of edible material. We have developed a novel, environmentally safe, and effective method for controlling the zebra mussel: the BioBullet. Furthermore, prolonged dosing of chlorine in raw water produces ecotoxic trihalomethanes (THMs) by reaction with organic material in the water. Zebra mussels are able to sense chlorine and othertoxins in their surrounding environment and respond by closing their valves, thus enabling them to avoid toxic effects for up to 3 weeks. Despite the development of numerous control methods, chlorination remains the only widespread and licensed technique.
Since arriving in the North American Great Lakes in the 1980s, zebra mussels have become a major biofouler, blocking the raw water cooling systems of power stations and water treatment works and costing U.S. The widespread invasion of freshwaters by the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, during the last 2 decades has made it one of the world's most economically and ecologically important pests.
