Some scientists say they’ve got a new answer to a centuries-old problem with ships. The problem is called “bio-fouling.”
That’s when ships pick up unwanted marine life on their hulls, such as mollusks and barnacles. Brian Bull reports on a shocking solution:
Transcript
Some scientists say they’ve got a new answer to a centuries-old problem with
ships. The problem is called “bio-fouling.” That’s when ships pick up unwanted
marine life on their hulls, such as mollusks and barnacles. Brian Bull reports on
a shocking solution:
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say coating boat hulls with
thousands of tiny, titanium electrodes will help stop marine organisms from
sticking onto watercraft. Initial tests show that electrodes slow build-up of
marine life by up to 50 percent. They gently zap any critters that come close to
the hull.
Scientist Dan Noguera says not only can this help curb the spread of invasive
species such as zebra mussels, but it can also help maintain a ship’s fuel
efficiency:
“If you have a surface that has a lot of bio-organisms attached, it’s going to slow
down the boat. You need to put a lot more fuel into it. So there are economic
impacts of these fouling agents.”
Besides wasting fuel, some of the hitch-hiking invasive organisms are causing
environmental damage.
For the Environment Report, I’m Brian Bull.