Latest Biofouling Stories

WATSONVILLE, Calif., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- West Marine (Nasdaq: WMAR), the country's largest retailer of boating supplies and accessories, announced today that two products were selected as "Green Product of the Year" Winners. The Attwood Fuel Demand Valve and West Marine CFA Eco Antifouling Bottom Paint shared top honors. These products address two dramatically different problems and both are capable of making a big difference in air and water pollution. (Photo:...

LONDON, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The global marine coatings industry is poised to sail forward on the growing demand for reduced fuel consumption in cargo and cruise ships. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations are boosting the prospects of high-value, eco-friendly coatings. Innovation has been the only constant, with all companies striving to offer eco-friendly products. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://chemicals.frost.com), Strategic Analysis of the...

The colonization of hulls by algae, barnacles, mussels and other organisms is a major problem for both pleasure boats and merchant tonnage. In a joint project, researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed new environmentally-friendly and effective bottom paints to prevent this. Fouling is a major problem, leading to higher fuel consumption and so increased air pollution. It can also cause the spread of alien species that do not...

Non-fouling materials that resist cell adhesion are very important in fundamental research on cell–biomaterial interactions and for practical applications. Thus, they have been extensively investigated during the last decade. Natural biomacromolecules such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) have conventionally been used to block cell adhesion. Zhao and Ding (Fudan University, Shanghai, China) recently reported that the purple membrane (PM) containing a natural photoresponsive protein,...

A new artificial surface inspired by floating seeds, which could provide an alternative to the toxic paints currently used to prevent fouling on ship hulls, has been developed by German scientists.Scientists from the Biomimetics-Innovation-Centre have developed a new anti-fouling surface based on a seed from a species of palm tree. "These plants have seeds which are dispersed by the ocean currents. As it is an advantage for these seeds to remain free of fouling to allow them to disperse...

Chemists discover how oysters bond together to form massive reef complexesOyster reefs are on the decline, with over-harvesting and pollution reducing some stocks as much as 98 percent over the last two centuries.With a growing awareness of oysters' critical roles filtering water, preventing erosion, guarding coasts from storm damage, and providing habitat for other organisms, researchers have been investigating how oyster reefs form in order to better understand the organisms and offer...

The substance medetomidine has proved effective in preventing fouling of ship bottoms. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now identified the gene that causes the barnacle to react to the substance, opening up the possibility of an antifouling paint that is gentle both on barnacles and on the environment.Fouling of hulls is a major problem for world shipping, for private leisure craft as well as large cargo ships. The University of Gothenburg has attempted to develop new,...

Tel Aviv University demonstrates that UV light can zap unwanted "life" in drinking water and save taxpayer dollars Does your drinking water smell foul, or are you worried that chemicals might be damaging your family's health? Water treatment facilities currently use chlorine that produces carcinogenic by-products to keep your tapwater clean, but Tel Aviv University scientists have determined that ultra-violet (UV) light might be a better solution. Dr. Hadas Mamane of Tel Aviv...

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for spring, Zebra Zappers announces their new Zebra Mussel anti-fouling marine coating called Sta-Z-Off. As toxic anti-fouling marine paints and bottom coatings become prohibited for use in U.S. and Canadian freshwater lakes, an effective non-toxic solution is needed to protect boats from Zebra Mussels, according to the founders of Zebra Zappers, Inc. Tim Thomas and Kim Fraylick both have been boating enthusiasts for over 2...

Researchers have solved the mystery of how barnacles attach themselves to other objects, showing that barnacle glue binds together exactly the same way as human blood does when it clots, BBC News reported.Barnacles are crustaceans that live in shallow ocean environments. As larvae they affix to hard substrates, then remain stationary for the rest of their lives.The barnacles secrete an adhesive substance in order to attach themselves to a surface.Scientists have long been aware of the...