No (or low) biocide antifouling coatings for aquaculture

Biofouling is the process where marine organisms adhere to surfaces used in aquaculture and marine applications, such as tanks, netting, plumbing, and hull surfaces. The additional weight and drag on surfaces and narrowing of openings in netting or plumbing strongly affect energy costs and efficiency of operations. Conventional anti-biofouling coatings contain tin or copper, which are ecologically damaging and are or will likely be regulated in these applications. The intern, in cooperation with Kavacha, will evaluate coating materials that contain no or low amounts of biocides, but will rather rely on physical properties, such as surface energy and the generation of micro- and nanostructures to retard biofouling processes. The coatings will be evaluated for their efficiency and potential ecotoxicity using methods developed by the intern and university partner for Kavacha, the industrial partner, as part of their product development process.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ken Oakes;Martin Mkandawire;Xu Zhang

Student:

Partner:

Kavacha

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Cape Breton University

Program: