Marine anti-fouling strategies: Emerging opportunities for seawater resource utilization
A recent research deals with marine antifouling strategies that offer emerging opportunities for the utilisation of seawater resources. It addresses the widespread problem of fouling organisms on submerged surfaces, known as marine biofouling, and discusses the development of environmentally friendly and effective antifouling coatings. The text highlights various advances in marine antifouling technology and its applications, such as uranium and lithium recovery from seawater and aquaculture.
The attachment and colonization of fouling organisms, including bacteria, algae, and invertebrates onto submerged surfaces is a widespread issue known as marine biofouling. This problem has substantial implications for various aspects such as economics, environment, and ecology. The prohibition of traditional antifouling methods, such as those based on tributyltin, has been enforced due to their accumulation and high levels of toxicity. Consequently, there is an urgent demand for the development of antifouling coatings that are both environmentally friendly and effective. The formation and detrimental effects of biofouling, the historical progression of antifouling technologies, and the mechanism of modern biofouling control are introduced.
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This review encompasses recent advancements in marine antifouling strategies, including bioactive antifoulant mechanisms, self-polishing antifouling mechanisms, surface wettability mechanisms, photocatalytic bactericidal mechanisms, and biomimetic antifouling mechanisms. Based on the strategies described above, the antifouling systems employed in the extraction of uranium and lithium from seawater, as well as net cages for aquaculture are explored. It is expected that marine antifouling technologies will provide more opportunities for the system design of seawater resource utilization.
Source: Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 486, 15 April 2024
