Biofouling Flashcards
1
Q
What are fouling and marine biofouling?
A
- Fouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants and animals.
- Marine Biofouling is the settlement and growth of organisms on submerged or semi-submerged surfaces.
2
Q
Give examples of hard-shelled animal fouling
A
- Barnacles
- Tube worms
- Mussels
3
Q
Give examples of plant fouling
A
- Microalgae (slime)
- Macroalgae (red, brown and green weeds)
4
Q
How does water temperature affect fouling?
A
Higher water temperature increases fouling
5
Q
Why is fouling important?
A
- Increases roughness on surfaces
- Increases fuel consumption/decreases efficiency
- Increases weight
- Damages electronic equipment in the sea (e.g. sonar domes)
- Breaks paint on the surface and causes corrosion
6
Q
What are the ecological concerns of fouling?
A
- Invasive species can be transported to other habitats due to fouling
- Invasive species may be very dangerous in terms of ecological and economical aspects
- They can cause the disappearance of the economically important species
- They may harm biological diversity and/or transport and dissipate illnesses
7
Q
What are the environmental concerns of fouling?
A
- Emission of NOX, SOX and Greenhouse Gases
- Pressures to safeguard the marine environment from the harmful effects of chemical biocides, water quality and sediment contamination
- Efforts to limit the spread of invasive non-indigenous species via ship fouling
8
Q
What are the economic concerns of fouling?
A
- Global economy
- Cost of fuel
- Economic need to extend the interval between drydockings
- Expensive maintenance and/or replacement of ships’ rudders
- Cost of cleaning up the contamination and pollution caused by biocidal antifouling paint on ships’ hulls
9
Q
How does fouling affect the operation of the wave energy industry?
A
- reduction in efficiency of energy extraction
- decreased buoyancy of floating structures
- inhibition of moving parts such as release mechanisms
- blockage to water intakes
- reduction in efficiency of heat exchangers
10
Q
How does fouling affect the longevity/structural design of equipment?
A
- increased hydrodynamic loads and drag as a result of increased diameter/surface roughness, adding strain on structures
- reduction of structural natural frequencies
- increased structural weight
11
Q
How does fouling influence surface damage?
A
- accelerated corrosion caused by microorganisms (e.g. sulphate reducing bacteria) that thrive in anaerobic microhabitats beneath biofouling
- physical damage to coatings when biofouling is removed
12
Q
How does fouling affect the maintenance of equipment?
A
- increased drag leads to higher fuel consumption and time loss when towing devices
- prevention of access to key areas during maintenance or monitoring, potentially concealing cracks or corrosion on the surface of a structure
13
Q
How does fouling affect health and safety?
A
- deterioration of maintenance access equipment (e.g. ladders) due to biofouling may make them too unsafe to use
14
Q
What are the two main categories of coatings used today to mitigate fouling?
A
- Biocidal coatings (Controlled Depletion Polymer, Self-Polishing Copolymer and Hybrid SPC)
- Non-biocidal coatings (Foul-Release/Non-Stick)
