Iodine-infused aeration for hull fouling prevention: a vessel-scale study

Abstract

Biofouling is a significant economic and ecological problem, causing reduced vessel performance and increases in fuel consumption and emissions. Previous research has shown iodine vapor (I₂)-infused aeration to be an environmentally friendly method for deterring the settlement of fouling organisms. An aeration system was deployed on a vessel with hull sections coated with two types of antifoulant coatings, Intersleek^® 1100 (fouling-release) and Interspeed^® BRA-640 (ablative copper biocide), as well as an inert epoxy barrier coating, to assess the effectiveness of aeration in conjunction with common marine coatings. I₂-infused aeration resulted in consistent reductions of 80–90% in hard fouling across all three coatings. Additionally, aeration reduced the soft fouling rate by 45–70% when used in conjunction with both Intersleek^® and Interspeed^® BRA versus those coatings alone. The results of this study highlight the contribution of I₂-infused aeration as a standalone mechanism for fouling prevention or as a complement to traditional antifouling coatings.

Keywords:

• Marine biofouling
• iodine infusion
• antifouling coatings
• aeration
• bubbles

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport, who funded this research, the members of the Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control at the Florida Institute of Technology for the use of their ONR funded facility, their field support, and expertise, and S. O’Donnell (Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport) who provided statistical support. The authors would also like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments which greatly improved the clarity and flow of this manuscript.