Green and Sustainable Antibiofouling Coatings: A Review

Abstract

Marine biofouling, the unwanted accumulation of living organisms on man-made structures is worsening every year. Biofouling in marine environment usually occurs in any wetted surface, submerged for a period of time in the seawater. This phenomenon happens in few stages started with conditioning and followed by attachment and colonization. Marine biofouling is a highly cost problem which requires unnecessary waste of financial source especially in fuel consumption and production time as well as safety problems. The currently used antibiofouling paint is reported to be highly toxic and threatening the marine organisms. The most commonly used antibiofouling agents are biocide-based such as the tributyl-n-tin (TBT), Sea Nine 211, Irgarol 1051, Diuron and the copper-based. The well-developed coating companies such as Hempel USA, SeaCoat Technology, Nippon Paint and many more has started their involvement in making the earths greener by introducing the non-biocide coating that is claimed to be as good as the biocide based antibiofouling coatings. Although the paints did not clearly state the antibiofouling agents used to replace biocide, the paints introduced are however, still has its own drawbacks. The secondary metabolites extractedfrom natural products as a defence mechanism is a potential green antibiofouling agent. Apart of its lower toxicity, natural products are also biodegradable. Further study on development of sustainable antibiofouling coating is crucial. This paper intended to review available green and sustainable antifouling compound used as paint or coating. The effectiveness and toxicity of the antifoulant will be critically reviewed.