Title : Nature's solutions, engineered: Biomimetic design of antifouling materials for artificial reefs using green chemistry approaches
Abstract:
Coral reef degradation has led to increasing efforts to develop artificial reef structures that are biocompatible surfaces for healthy coral growth. Fouling by marine macroalgae and microorganisms can compete with coral settlement on these artificial structures. This study explores the fabrication of antifouling ceramic materials for artificial reefs using calcium carbonate nanostructures combined with sargassum seaweed fatty acids. Sargassum extract containing saturated fatty acids was incorporated into porous calcium carbonate nanoparticles synthesized by a facile precipitation method. The nanoparticle-enhanced sargassum fatty acids demonstrated inhibition of biofilm formation by macroalgae are implicated in macrofouling processes. Impregnation of the antifouling particle-acid structures into ceramic artificial reef substrates created a multilayered topography that discouraged algal adhesion while remaining harmless to coral larval settlement in laboratory assessments. Field immersion trials of the ceramic tiles showed a 60% reduction in microbiofouling coverage compared to controls after 4 weeks while allowing successful recruitment of coral juveniles. This work demonstrates a new biomaterial-enabled approach to developing microorganism-resistant artificial reef structures by synergizing natural antifouling compounds with biocompatible calcium carbonate nanostructures suited to coral propagation.
Audience Take Away
- How sargassum seaweed fatty acids can act as antifouling agents against reef macrobiofouling when combined with CaCO3 nanoparticles.
- That impregnating these antifouling biomaterial structures into ceramic substrates creates surfaces resistant to microbes but compatible with coral larval settlement.
- Field testing demonstrated a 60% reduction in macroalgae on the ceramic tiles with the antifouling treatment compared to controls.
- This nano-enabled approach could provide a new method for developing microorganism-resistant artificial reef structures.
