During the operation of the circulating cooling water system, the inorganic scale deposition may cause technical problems, such as reduction of heat transfer efficiency in cooling systems and obstruction of pipes. In the industry, chemicals are often used as scale inhibitors in scale deposition control, antiscalants popular in industry are generally phosphorus and nitrogen containing chemicals, which may lead to eutrophication. However, increasing environmental concern and discharge limitations

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... have guided antiscalants to move toward biodegradable, nontoxicity and cost-effectiveness. This paper reviews current researches on application of using bio-materials as scale inhibitors, including proteins and amino acids, polysaccharides, plant extracts, microbial reagents, and microbiological product. The non-bioaccumulation, low cost, readily biodegradability and sustainably available characters promote the development of green scale inhibitor chemistry.