Durable biofouling protection
AssigneeBiofouling Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBrian McMurray, Cliff Sharpe, Mike Termini, Emily Ralston, Abraham Stephens, Ed Dormier, Lindsey Calcutt, Joseph Basista
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are devices, methods and/or systems for use in protecting items and/or structures that are exposed to, submerged and/or partially submerged in aquatic environments from contamination and/or fouling due to the incursion and/or colonization by specific types and/or kinds of biologic organisms and/or plants, including the protection from micro- and/or macro-fouling for extended periods of time of exposure to aquatic environments.
Claims21
A device for reducing biofouling on a substrate at least partially submerged in an aqueous environment, the device comprising:
- a structure which is or becomes water permeable during use, said structure adapted to receive said substrate,
- wherein said structure separates an aqueous environment into a synthetic local aqueous environment and an open aqueous environment, wherein the synthetic local aqueous environment extends from a surface of the substrate to at least an inner surface of the structure,
- wherein an antifouling biofilm is formed within the synthetic local aqueous environment, wherein said synthetic local aqueous environment comprises water chemistry differences compared to waters within the open aqueous environment located proximate to, but outside of the synthetic local aqueous environment.
An artificially created biofilm, the biofilm comprising:
- a biofilm that deters settling of biofouling organisms, wherein the biofilm is formed within a synthetic local aqueous environment, wherein said synthetic local aqueous environment is formed by separating an aqueous environment into the synthetic local aqueous environment and an open aqueous environment, wherein the synthetic local aqueous environment extends from a surface of a substrate to at least 0.04 inches, and
- said biofilm comprises a reduction in diversity, a reduction in formation, a reduction in cover, a reduction in volume, a reduction in thickness, or a reduction in presence of at least one of cyanobacteria, diatom, fungi, prokaryotic cells, or bacteria compared to a naturally created biofilm in said open aqueous environment.
A method of creating an artificially created biofilm for reducing biofouling on a substrate in an aqueous environment, the method comprising:
- placing a structure which is or becomes water permeable during use around the substrate to substantially enclose said substrate in an artificial local aqueous environment which extends from a surface of the substrate to at least an inner surface of the structure relative to an open aqueous environment,
- wherein the structure modulates dissolved oxygen content from the open aqueous environment into the artificial local aqueous environment, wherein the reduced level of dissolved oxygen within the artificial local aqueous environment induces an alteration in the biofilm.
A device comprising:
- a structure which is or becomes water permeable during use, said structure adapted to receive a substrate, wherein the substrate is at least partially submerged in an aqueous environment,
- wherein said structure separates an aqueous environment into a local aqueous environment and an open aqueous environment, wherein the local aqueous environment extends from a surface of the substrate to at least an inner surface of the structure,
- wherein the structure allows fluid exchange therethrough to the substrate while preventing, limiting, or altering biofouling on the substrate such that an antifouling biofilm is formed within the local aqueous environment, wherein the antifouling biofilm comprises a reduction in diversity, a reduction in formation, a reduction in cover, a reduction in volume, a reduction in thickness, or a reduction in presence of at least one of cyanobacteria, diatom, fungi, prokaryotic cells, or bacteria compared to a naturally created biofilm in said open aqueous environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.