The company said that final results of the second round of testing of the products by Commercial Microbiology found that Biosignal’s compounds substantially outperformed glutaraldehyde, even with lower concentrations of the Biosignal product.

Cultures used were taken from a seawater injection system on a North Sea production platform.

This round included testing of different concentrations and, for the first time, re-circulating rather than continuously adding Biosignal’s compounds. Re-circulated compounds showed unexpectedly high efficacy, according to the company.

The company said the ability to maintain effective activity when recycled could significantly expand the potential applications of the compounds into areas where chemical treatment is currently not economically feasible.

The Biosignal product is also relatively benign compared to glutaraldehyde and other biocides which are hazardous materials, with health, safety and environment risks.

The Commercial Microbiology trials are supported by Santos and BHP Billiton.