Application of bubble streams to control biofouling on marine infrastructure—pontoon-scale implementation

Abstract

There is a lack of cost-effective, environmentally-friendly tools available to manage marine biofouling accumulation on static artificial structures such as drilling rigs, wind turbines, marine farms, and port and marina infrastructure. For there to be uptake and refinement of tools, emerging technologies need to be tested and proven at an operational scale. This study aimed to see whether biofouling accumulation could be suppressed on marine infrastructure under real-world conditions through the delivery of continuous bubble streams. Submerged surfaces of a floating marina pontoon were cleaned in-situ by divers, and the subsequent colonisation by biofouling organisms was monitored on treated (bubbles applied) and untreated sections. Continuous bubble streams proved highly effective (>95%) in controlling macrofouling accumulation on the underside surface of the marina pontoon for the first 2 months after deployment, but efficacy dropped off rapidly once bubble stream delivery was partially obscured due to biofouling accumulation on the diffuser itself. Although extensive macrofouling cover by mussels, bryozoans and hydroids was observed on treated surfaces by 4 months (27.5%, SE = 4.8%), biofouling % cover and diversity was significantly higher on untreated surfaces (79.6%, SE = 2.9%). While this study demonstrates that continuous bubble streams greatly restrict biofouling accumulation over short-to-medium timescales, improved system design, especially the incorporation of diffusers resistant to fouling, is needed for the approach to be considered a viable long-term option for biofouling management on static artificial structures.