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Abstract
The antifouling (AF) potential of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced enzymatically in a coating containing starch, glucoamylase, and hexose oxidase was evaluated in a series of laboratory tests and in-sea field trials. Dissolved H2O2 inhibited bacterial biofilm formation by eight of nine marine Proteobacteria, tested in microtiter plates. However, enzymatically produced H2O2 released from a coating did not impede biofilm formation by bacteria in natural seawater tested in a biofilm reactor. A field trial revealed a noticeable effect of the enzyme system: after immersion in the North Sea for 97 days, the reference coating without enzymes had 35–40 barnacles, 10% area coverage by diatoms and 15% area coverage by tunicates. The enzyme containing coating had only 6–12 barnacles, 10% area coverage by diatoms and no tunicates. The enzyme system had a performance similar to a copper-based commercial coating and thus appears to have potential as a non-persistent AF agent.
Acknowledgements
This work was partly funded as an industrial research project under the Danish Industrial PhD programme with time shared between Aarhus University and Danisco A/S. Funding was provided by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation jointly with the company. Additional funding was obtained through the technology platform ProSURF funded by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.
The authors wish to express their gratitude to Charlotte A. Bak of Genencor, Brabrand, Denmark, for laboratory work, and to Jana Fischer, Marie Aster Knudsen, and Arnar Sigmundsson at the Food Protection Platform at Danisco A/S, Brabrand, Denmark, for assistance and equipment in bacterial testing. Job Klijnstra and Glen Donnelly of TNO, Den Helder, NL provided their experience and capabilities in performing the raft trials in the Dutch North Sea.