An alternative approach to antifouling based on analogues of natural processes

A number of marine organisms are able to resist fouling pressure and remain essentially free of fouling. Some organisms are totally devoid of even the first stages of biofilm formation involving bacteria and microalgae. A key feature in recent research has been the realisation that previous low adhe rence technology is an insufficient technical solution and that natural mod els, based on marine and other organisms, incorporate other passive techniq ues for fouling resistance. These characteristics may be incorporated into physical analogues of the natural processes. This paper describes ways of p roducing physical analogues of some such characteristics, the application o f such techniques to surfaces in the marine environment and the environment al impact. The paper includes some results of recent trials and a cost comp arison. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.