Biofouling of experimental cages and other field apparatuses can be problematic for scientists and has traditionally been addressed using frequent manual removal (e.g., scraping, scrubbing). Recent environmental restrictions and legislative changes have driven the development of less hazardous antifouling products, making antifouling paint a potential alternative option to manual removal. Conse...

We report rational design of amphiphilic polymers capable of making carbon nanotubes (CNTs) highly water dispersible and resistant to biofouling; such CNTs can be conjugated with bioactive molecules so as to be potential drug delivery vehicles.

Water and wastewater processing (cooling tower, heat exchanger, treatment, etc.) generate desirable or undesirable biofouling (mineral, organic, biological) which may affect equipment process performances. Fouling magnitude nature stand as critical parameters to be evaluated in-situ on-line control optimize the operation (production, cleaning). A fouling sensor based on a Micro-Electro-Mechanic...

Shipping has contributed strongly to biological invasions in coastal ecosystems, transferring species in ballast tanks and on exposed underwater surfaces (hulls). A long history exists that documents biota associated with ships’ hulls, including some recent analyses of modern ships, but relatively little is known about the associated risks of invasion. In general, the likelihood of invasion is ...

VIABILITY STUDY OF BIOFILM-FORMER STRAINS FROM PAPER INDUSTRY BY FLOW CYTOMETRY WITH APPLICATION TO KINETIC MODELS E. Torres, M. Ladero, P. López, A. Alcon, V. Santos, A. Blanco. Chemical Engineering Department. Faculty of Chemistry. Complutense University of Madrid. Madrid 28040. Spain. Abstract Biofouling causes important economic losses in the paper industry. To prevent or mitigate the effec...

Membrane processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis have been popular subject for researchers interested in water filtration system. One of the main problems with such membrane system is biofouling, which is caused by deposition or growth of microorganisms on membrane surface. One solution to this problem, as it has been used for many years now, is ch...

An experimental system has been developed that allows the monitoring of biofilm development on supports exposed to water of different characteristics. The system consists of a series of packed-bed reactors filled with glass beads, and by periodically removing biofilm attached to these beads for off-line analyses this provides a means for monitoring biofilm development. Despite its reduced dimen...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been applied to non-invasively elucidate several aspects of bio-fouling of nano-filtration and reverse osmosis membranes (ROMs) modules as a function of fouling time. These include the spatial distribution of biomass accumulation and its effect on system hydrodynamics, the effect on these parameters of ROM cleaning protocols and the detailed validation of 3D...