Cargo Business Newswire

Friday, May 9, 2014

Researchers develop barnacle-repelling paint

In order to prevent barnacles on a ship's hull, which can slow it down and increase fuel costs, researchers are developing a paint made from plants that can repel the creatures without killing them, according to an article published in the ACS journal, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

In the article, Guillermo Blustein explains that when barnacles stick to hulls and increase water resistance, they up the ship's fuel use by as much as 40 percent. The marine life also causes environmental issues by competing with native animals and plants.

And currently the special coatings shipping companies use to mitigate the problem can permanently harm sea life.

Instead, researchers have concocted a paint using Maytenus trees, found worldwide. The root bark of the tree contains compounds similar to defensive agents produced by bottom-dwelling ocean creatures.

The scientists discovered that the compounds repel barnacles, but generally don't cause long-term damage. The new coatings effectively stopped algae, tube worms and other creatures from latching on.

For more of the Science Codex story: sciencecodex.com