Continuous bubble streams for controlling marine biofouling on static artificial structures

Continuous bubble streams for controlling marine biofouling on static artificial structures

Biofouling accumulation is not proactively managed on most marine static artificial structures (SAS) due to the lack of effective options presently available. We describe a series of laboratory and field trials that examine the efficacy of continuous bubble streams in maintaining SAS free of macrosc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 9; p. e11323
Main Authors: Hopkins, Grant A, Gilbertson, Fletcher, Floerl, Oli, Casanovas, Paula, Pine, Matt, Cahill, Patrick
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 30-04-2021
PeerJ, Inc
PeerJ Inc
Subjects:
Air bubbles
Biofouling
Bubbles
Chemical properties
Control
Design and construction
Diffusers
Ecology
Environmental aspects
Environmental Contamination and Remediation
Environmental Impacts
Environmental risk
Experiments
Fouling of ship bottoms
Laboratories
Marinas
Marine Biology
Marine environment
Noise
Settlement
Shear stress
Static structures
Streams
Treatment
New Zealand
Marinas
Settlement
Treatment
Air bubbles
Static structures
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Description
Summary:Biofouling accumulation is not proactively managed on most marine static artificial structures (SAS) due to the lack of effective options presently available. We describe a series of laboratory and field trials that examine the efficacy of continuous bubble streams in maintaining SAS free of macroscopic biofouling and demonstrate that this treatment approach is effective on surface types commonly used in the marine environment. At least two mechanisms were shown to be at play: the disruption of settlement created by the bubble stream, and the scouring of recently settled larvae through shear stress. Field trials conducted over a one-year period identified fouling on diffusers as a major issue to long-term treatment applications. Field measurements suggest that noise associated with surface mounted air blowers and sub-surface diffusers will be highly localised and of low environmental risk. Future studies should aim to develop and test systems at an operational scale.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.11323