Hacia una reducción del contenido de cobre en pinturas antiincrustantes

MÓNICA TERESITA GARCÍA; MIRIAM CRISTINA PÉREZ; MIRTA ELENA STUPAK; GUILLERMO BLUSTEIN

REVISTA MATéRIA

UNIV FED RIO DE JANEIRO

Lugar: Rio de Janeiro; Año: 2015 vol. 20 p. 691 - 698

1517-7076

Biofouling leads to deterioration of any submerged material. The most widespread method for control is the application of cuprous oxide antifouling paints which are toxic. For this reason non-toxic natural products could be combined with small amounts of copper to diminish its contribution to the environment.Thymol is isolated from essential oils of several plants (thyme, oregano, basil) and it is well known for its antimicrobial properties. The hypothesis proposed in this study is this compound would inhibit initial steps infouling sequence and consequently would also inhibit settlement of later species.The aim of this work was to reduce the amount of copper in antifouling paints employing thymol as an additive. Two antifouling paints were prepared, one containing 16% v/v copper and another with 1.6%copper + 2% thymol. Paints were applied on acrylic panels and were submerged in Mar del Plata harbor.After 6 months of immersion in Mar del Plata harbor fouling cover percentage on panels was estimated under stereomicroscope and optic microscope. Estimation of fouling cover by species was carried out using a 25 random point grid. Also, control paints and unpainted acrylic tiles were simultaneously submerged. All tests were performed in triplicate.Paints containing 1.6% copper + thymol and 16% copper were effective. No significance differences were registered in cover percentage between copper-based paints and copper+thymol based paints (p>0.05).