Marine biofilms on different fouling control coating types reveal differences in microbial community composition and abundance

Marine biofouling imposes serious environmental and economic impacts on marine applications, especially in the shipping industry. To combat biofouling, protective coatings are applied on vessel hulls which are divided into two major groups: biocidal and non-toxic fouling-release. The aim of the current study was to explore the effect of coating type on microbial biofilm community profiles to better understand the differences between the communities developed on fouling control biocidal antifouling and biocidal-free coatings. Biocidal (Intersmooth(R) 7460HS SPC), fouling-release (Intersleek(R) 900), and inert surfaces were deployed in the marine environment for 4 months and the biofilms that developed on these surfaces were investigated using Illumina NGS sequencing, targeting the prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene. The results confirmed differences in the community profiles between coating types. The biocidal coating supported communities dominated by Alphaproteobacteria (Loktanella, Sphingorhabdus, Erythrobacter) and Bacteroidetes (Gilvibacter), whilst other taxa such as Portibacter and Sva0996 marine group, proliferated on the fouling-release surface. Knowledge of these marine biofilm components on fouling control coatings will serve as a guide for future investigations of marine microfouling as well as informing the coatings industry of potential microbial targets for robust coating formulations.

A High Speed Boat for the Hydrodynamic Testing of Fouling Control Coatings

An 8.2 m high speed boat was modified to measure the drag and to provide real time video of ship hull fouling control coatings under boundary layer conditions that developed at speeds up to 15 m/s. It consists of a through hull Hydrodynamic Drag Meter (HDM) placed in a wet-well built into the aft section of the boat. The HDM consists of a load cell attached to a floating element balance and a high definition video camera to observe fouling. Test panels are attached to the load cell such that they remain flush with the hull. Fouled test panels are placed in the facility to observe the velocities required for fouling removal and changes in drag forces associated with different fouling community structure. Characterization studies of the HDM were undertaken to understand the overall accuracy of the novel testing system. These experiments included 1) Smooth acrylic drag measurement with the HDM and a Preston tube and 2) Drag measurements with the HDM on panels with 60- grit and 220-grit sandpaper. Smooth panel wall shear stress values obtained using the HDM were within experimental uncertainties of results from Preston tube. Roughness function values for 60-grit and 220-grit sandpaper agree within the experimental uncertainty of the Nikuradse-type roughness function for uniform roughness. Skin friction coefficients of a smooth panel determined on the HDM had an experimental uncertainty of around 5% for Froude numbers greater than 1. Roughness function values for a 220-grit and 60-grit sandpaper surface had maximum uncertainties of 11% and 13% respectively.

Using Hydrodynamic Testing to Assess the Performance of Five Fouling Control Coatings Immersed at Two Field Sites along the East Coast of Florida

Static immersion studies are commonly used to assess the performance of fouling control coatings. While these tests provide valuable data, it is also of importance to understand the drag forces associated with the accrued fouling communities and the velocities required for fouling removal. Combining the measurements of hydrodynamic testing with those from static immersion testing can help in predicting the performance of coatings prior to their consideration for use on Navy vessels. Replicates of five commercially available coatings (three fouling release coatings and two biocide based coatings) were deployed at two static immersion test sites located along the east coast of Florida (Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet). After four months of immersion, the panels were removed, photographed, subjected to known water velocities in a high-speed boat modified for hydrodynamic testing. Each panel was run at 5 m/s for 10 minutes, photographed, and then run at 10 m/s for 10 minutes. The drag forces were measured at speeds of 3, 6, 8.8 and 10 m/s for 1 minute each. Photographs taken before, during, and after hydrodynamic testing were also visually analyzed. After testing adhesion measurements were taken to determine the attachment strength of any hard fouling organisms which remained on the panels. The data collected from this series of tests, enabled the fouling control and fouling release properties of each coating to be characterized.