Application of marine biotechnology in the production of natural biocides for testing on environmentally innocuous antifouling coatings

The widely recognized biofouling phenomenon has many negative consequences for artificial structures that are in contact with seawater in the form of structural defects and additional expenses for maritime companies due to cleaning and prevention processes. After having analyzed the serious environmental problems caused by an indiscriminate use of highly toxic biocides coming from organic derivatives of tin compounds and the uncontrolled emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) to the atmosphere, the evolving technology of antifouling paintings (further mandated by current environmental standards) aims to develop environmentally innocuous water-based coverings in which extracts of the very same marine world are used as biocide compounds. Water-based coatings are being developed that use low-toxic elements and natural biocides, where bacteria is isolated from surfaces immersed in the marine environment, creating a promising source of natural antifouling compounds. The result is a new environmentally friendly antifouling coating that is able to mitigate the problem of biofouling without affecting the surrounding medium, and which may be applied on any artificial structure in contact with seawater. An erratum to this article can be found at