The Promising Future
of Anti-fouling Amides
Researchers in Singapore have patented an innovative technology that
may rede;ne the way biocides are used in anti-fouling coatings for the
marine industry, potentially setting new standards for cost-e;ectiveness,
environmental pro;ling and biodegradability.
Marine biofouling is a major issue facing companies utilising the world’s oceans for commerce.
Biofouling, the accumulation of microorganisms
on marine equipment, and ship hulls in particular, has a negative impact, both commercially
and environmentally. It results in increased fuel
consumption from the extra drag on the ship’s
hull; it increases frequency of dry-docking thereby reducing a ship’s availability; and it accelerates corrosion of marine structures like o;shore
platforms and buoys, leading to a shorter product life span.
its product name, Imodium™. The compound’s
bioactivity towards fouling organisms was what
interested these researchers.
Using loperamide as the starting point, the researchers developed a class of highly potent
and biodegradable novel anti-fouling amides.
These compounds are also cost e;ective, as only
two to three steps are required to produce the
amides from readily available starting materials.
The solution the market is waiting
for
The future of the marine coatings industry looks
bright with these next-generation environ-ment-friendly amides that could prevent hard
fouling on marine structures and achieve cost
savings for end-users.
Tributyl Tin (TBT): An e;ective anti-fouling agent with a high environmental cost
First created in the 1960s as an e;ective anti-fouling agent, TBT was used for more than 20
years as the biocide of choice for marine vessels.
In the 1980s, reports of malformations in oyster
shells around marinas and imposex of molluscs
led to greater scrutiny of TBT.
Preliminary studies have demonstrated that
these amides can be introduced into coatings
and paint mixtures, thus creating an anti-fouling
solution that is e;ective against a broad array of
marine fouling organisms.
Contact us
ETPL, the technology transfer arm of
A*STAR, is seeking collaborators to develop
and commercialise these compounds for
applications of your interest. Please email Mr
Yong Chin Wee at tech-o; er@exploit-tech.com
for further discussion.
Visit ETPL’s website at www.exploit-tech.com.
Field Studies
Control
Anti-fouling Amides
TBT’s poor degradability caused a gradual buildup of toxicity in sediments, resulting in long-term environmental issues in major ports. As a
result, the use of TBT has been banned in most
parts of the world.
Currently, copper-based coatings have
replaced tin-coatings as the major marine
antifouling solution used on more than 90%1
of the world’s shipping ;eets. These coatings
are invariably supplemented with booster
biocides, many of which have been shown to
be environmentally detrimental. As a result
of bold environmental initiatives such as
those resulting from the EU’s Biocide Product
Regulation, new biodegradable biocides are
urgently needed in the marine industry.
A surprising inspiration
Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) Institute of
Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and
National University of Singapore recently developed a class of anti-fouling additives that could
protect marine equipment and ship hulls from
fouling by marine organisms. In addressing this
global issue, the researchers found the answer
in, of all things, anti-diarrhoea medication!
The solution was inspired by a pharmaceutical
compound used to treat diarrhoea, called loperamide hydrochloride, popularly known by
Chart 1: An eight-week study showed the anti-fouling amides to be dramatically e;ective
against settlement of several species of marine organisms.
This research is funded by
1 Source: 4th Global Marine Coatings Forum, organized by International Paint & Printing Ink Council (2012)
