Biotechnological investigation for the prevention of biofouling. I. Biological and biochemical principles for the prevention of biofouling

Abstract

The most important b~ological and biochemcal methods with potential for the prevention of biofouling are descnbed Among these methods, the isolation of biogenic agents produced by several species of micro-and macroalgae and inanne invertebrates with antibacterial, antialgal, anhprotozoan and antlmacrofouhng properties may b e the most promising and effective method for the prevention of biofoul~ng The isolated substances with the most potent a n t ~o u l a n t actlvlty are fatty a c ~d s , terpenes terpenoids, hpoproteins, glycolipids, phenols, lactons, peptides and steroids The advantage of the utilization of micro-and macroalgae for the isolation of biogenic agents is that algae can be cultivated m a short tlme in mass culture, independent of season Furthermore, they can b e manipulated to a large extent in the direct~on of the 'production of biogenic agents' However, the cultivation of m c r o -and macroalgae is very expensive Manne Invertebrates must be collected In certain seasons This collection of manne invertebrates could lead to an uncontrolled explo~tation of marlne organisms and to a change in the balance of marine ecosystems. Therefore, determination of the chemical structure and the subsequent synthesis of the deterrmned biogenic agents is necessary if marine invertebrates are to be used as producers of biogenic agents. Ant~fouling systems must be both environmentally safe and effective for at least 3 yr when formulated as antifoul~ng paints. There have been a few attempts at t h ~s , but no applicable successes have been reported to date