Overcoming biofouling with hydrogels
The study of rivers, coastal waters and the world's oceans is a challenging task. Biofouling can significantly reduce the accuracy of underwater instrumentation and, over time, render it useless. The BRIMOM project was funded by the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Programme to investigate new antifouling measures to overcome this problem. Biofouling comes in two forms: microfouling where microorganisms (e.g. algae) form biofilms and macrofouling where larger organisms (e.g. barnacles) colonise the instrument. Both kinds of biofouling negatively impact instrument performance. The BRIMOM coordinator, the Glasgow Marine Technology Centre, developed a hydrogel fortified with antifouling substances. Field experiments with the hydrogel on instruments submerged in the Clyde estuary off the coast of Scotland demonstrated that it adequately reduces both microfouling and macrofouling, in particular by the common acorn barnacle, Semi-balanus balanoides. The results also indicate that the effectiveness of the hydrogel is not compromised by submersion prior to the onset of the barnacle season. The lifetime of the hydrogel is estimated at approximately three months. The Glasgow Marine Technology Centre and its BRIMOM partners believe use of the hydrogel will improve data capture and data quality in the underwater environment.