Laboratory evaluation of easy-release and non-toxic deterrent coatings for biofouling mitigation
Abstract
The overall aim of this proposal is to facilitate the development of nontoxic or environmentally benign solutions to marine biofouling. This is driven by the need to improve existing antifouling solutions or develop alternatives because inadequate protection of submerged surfaces incurs significant economic (e.g. increased fuel consumption; dry docking) and environmental (e.g. gaseous emissions; transport of potentially invasive species) costs. Through collaborations with developers of coatings, the objectives are to: i) test the efficacy of nontoxic or environmentally benign coatings (fouling release or antifouling) to down select promising candidates for field testing; and ii) test hypotheses with experimental surfaces to understand factors that mitigate fouling. Newcastle University will provide an advanced laboratory testing capability involving marine biofouling-relevant micro- (e.g. diatoms) and macro-fouling (e.g. seaweed and barnacles) organisms and their life cycle stages, and a series of attachment/settlement and adhesion assays,the latter using mostly bespoke equipment. The results of the testing will be communicated to the coating developers in technical reports.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312142
Entities
People
- Anthony S Clare
Organizations
- Newcastle University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy