Abstract
Based on the quantitative analysis of biocide leaching rate and biomass measurements, the impact of sessile organisms on antifouling coating systems (AFCS) were investigated. The leaching rate of biocide from AFCS was measured by in-situ sampling instrument that enabled direct sampling from test specimens. At the same time, the biomass of sessile organisms, which were identified as fouling organisms, was measured by barnacles and chlorophyll-α (Chl-a) extracted from algae. Test specimens with commercially available AFCS were immersed at two experimental sites in Tokyo bay for almost 1 year. The results show that the leaching rate for copper-based biocides varied from 10μg/cm2/Day to 40μg/cm2/Day under fouled states. In the case of AFCS test panels, the concentration of Chl-a was lower compared to that of the control panel, and furthermore, no barnacles were found. These facts imply that leaching phenomena of biocide from AFCS demonstrated an antifouling property even in a static state simulated under anchorage conditions for 1 year. Use of the methods of ocean-immersion tests may be a good starting point for the evaluation of the antifouling properties of AFCS.
