September 2021
MODERN ADVANCEMENTS IN ECO-FRIENDLY, ANTI-FOULING IN THE MARINE INDUSTRY Cadet Anirban Bhattacharjee, B.Tech. Marine Engineering (2nd Year), Indian Maritime University (Erstwhile DMET/MERI) Biofouling is undesirable accumulation of implants on the surface of submerged objects, obstructing sustainable production. It is relevant in the growing global marine industry to refurbish research to pave the way for future research endeavors. Biofouling causes a 50% downgrade in the speed of the vessel, increasing the cost of fuel consumption. The main barrier to efficient and sustainable production in marine aquaculture is biofouling (Durr and Watson 2010). Global aquaculture production in 2016 was 110.2 million tons (US$243.5 billion), including 54.1 million tons of finfish (US$138.5 billion), 17.1 million tons of mollusks (US$29.2 billion) (FAO 2018). Aquaculture rate of growth is quicker than other food production sectors despite annual growth of worldwide aquaculture has bogged down to a mean of 5.8% during the year 2000–2016 (FAO 2018). Marine shellfish aquaculture has grown steadily over a previous couple of decades, with Asia dominating and accounting for more than 90% of worldwide tonnage (FAO 2018). Globally, biofouling is an unfavorable condition being faced within the marine environment. This issue negatively affects erected underwater structures also as mobile watercraft like ships and vessels.
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(Gregory D Bixler and Bharat Bhushan). Especially, biofouling causes severe problems like corrosion, distortion and alteration of structures submerged within the water, increased weight, increased drag leading to the reduction in watercraft's speed and up to 40% additional fuel consumption. Current anti-fouling strategies inhibit fouling organisms by releasing high amounts of toxic chemicals into the environment. Compounds with low side effects and high repressive performance have a high priority for biofouling control. Growing demand for bio-friendly anti-biofouling surfaces has stimulated the event of the latest and ever refurbishing paradigms. Stress localized durable anti-biofouling surfaces. The impact of biofouling on the marine environment provides a
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