The protecting layer mainly consist of chitosan, a biological component made from the waste of shellfish, animals like lobsters, crabs, scampi’s and shrimp. That substance naturally works as a protection from moulds and bacteria. It is now already used in agriculture, water purification, the food industry and cosmetic industry to suppress body odor and for medical applications. Professor Chris Stevens from the faculty of Bio-science engineering at Ghent University and his team have modified the material in a way it got an extra protective function. It should now be able to keep mussels, sea cubes, algae and other sea creatures from growing on the hull of the sailing boat. “To stop that kind of fouling, toxic substances are generally used. We accepted the challenge to do this in a more biological way without risk for the environment”, explains professor Stevens. “Besides, we have managed to convert food waste in to something useful, causing a very low ecological footprint of the product.”
Read more about the coating in the full article.
