In Italy, biotechnology company Bio-On and coatings major AkzoNobel have agreed to continue their work in the SEAFRONT project for using Bio-On’s biobased polymers in AkzoNobel’s marine fouling control coatings.
The aim of the collaboration is to continue to investigate the use of Bio-on’s biodegradable and bio-based polymers as components in fouling control coatings designed to prevent “undesirable accumulation” of marine organisms on marine vessels and other aquatic installations. The two companies will also look at new formulations.
Launched in 2014, the SEAFRONT project includes 17 other companies and institutes. “The consortium can be proud that they have successfully achieved the main objectives such as creating surfaces which reduce hydrodynamic drag by 5% and, thanks to the excellent work of Bio-on and AkzoNobel, generated very good results for new fouling control coatings utilizing bio-based polymers,” says Arie Brouwer of the Dutch Polymer Institute and coordinator of the SEAFRONT Project.