Enhancing Maritime Industry Resilience and Sustainability by Development of Non-toxic Anti-Fouling Marine Coatings

生物污染是不需要的水生物种的定居和发展，对包括运输和水产养殖部门在内的海运业来说是一个重大挑战。船舶污垢会影响船体的水动力阻力，从而降低航速，同时增加20%的燃油消耗。生物污染也对鱼类生产造成重大的经济障碍，占生产成本的5-10%。目前，许多海洋运输和水产养殖生物污染是通过使用高效的铜或铜合金化合物来控制的，但其有效性是由于浸出铜离子的非特异性毒性，可能影响食品安全。该项目将开发基于天然生物材料的黑二氧化钛（bTiO2）和层状双氢氧化物（LDH）复合材料的环保型防污处理，通过生物分子的固有特性和纳米材料产生的电子空穴和氧自由基来评估其抑制粘膜微生物的效果。通过将基质浸泡在海水中并增加营养物以加速生物膜的生长，来测量抗生物污染效率。纳米复合材料/生物材料涂层的生态毒性及其对滤食性动物的吸收将通过组织解剖和染色来评估，通过收集牡蛎和贻贝粪便/假粪便来评估消除。利用可见光的bTiO2纳米材料在水下弱光条件下（紫外线随深度迅速散射）产生活性氧，与被动抑制生物膜形成的天然生物材料相结合，可能会产生与传统和当前金属基防污策略相媲美的表面涂层。在没有可行的商业替代品的情况下，监管机构不能禁止以铜为基础的防污处理，因为水产养殖是越来越重要的蛋白质来源，而污垢是水产养殖面临的主要后勤和经济挑战。这些产品的商业化将促进加拿大水产养殖在国际市场上的重要竞争优势，同时改善加拿大的生态系统和人类健康。

Biofouling, the settlement and development of unwanted aquatic species, is a significant challenge for maritime industries including the transportation and aquaculture sectors. Marine fouling affects hull hydrodynamic resistance to reduce speed while increasing fuel consumption by as much as 20%. Biofouling also poses a significant economic barrier to fish production, contributing 5-10% of productions costs. Currently, much marine transportation and aquaculture biofouling is controlled with the use of highly effective copper or copper alloy-based compounds, but their effectiveness is due to non-specific toxicity of leaching copper ions, which may affect food safety. The proposed project will develop environmentally friendly anti-fouling treatments based on black titanium dioxide (bTiO2) and layered double hydroxide (LDH) composites with naturally sourced biomaterials, evaluate their efficacy to inhibit adhering film-forming microorganisms by the biomolecules' innate properties and the nanomaterials generation of electron holes and oxyradicals. Anti-biofouling efficiency will be measured by immersing substrates in seawater with nutrient augmentation to accelerate biofilm growth. Ecotoxicity of nanocomposite/biomaterial coatings and their uptake by filter feeders will be evaluated by tissue dissections and staining with elimination assessed through collection of oyster and mussel feces/pseudofeces. Combining visible light-exploiting bTiO2 nanomaterials which generate reactive oxygen species underwater in low-light conditions (where UV is rapidly scattered with depth) with natural biomaterials that passively inhibit biofilm formation may produce surface coatings rivalling effectiveness of legacy and current metal-based antifouling strategies. Regulators cannot ban copper-based anti-fouling treatments in the absence of a viable commercial replacement as aquaculture is an increasingly important source of protein, and fouling is the chief logistical and economic challenge facing aquaculture. Commercialization of such products will foster a vital competitive edge for Canadian aquaculture in the international marketplace, while improving ecosystem and human health in Canada.