Saltar para o conteúdo principal

FCCNFCT Digital Services

Access the national information on scientific and technological funding in Portugal

Activity Funded

Nanoengineered systems tailored with natural phytochemicals for biofouling mitigation on industrial surfaces

Sistemas de nanoengenharia concebidos com fitoquímicos naturais para a mitigação da bioincrustação em superfícies industriais

Reference
2022.06149.PTDC
Project Start Date
2023-03-01
Project End Date
2027-02-28
Principal Investigator
Coinvestigator
Scientific Area
Engineering and technology
Funding Program
Concurso de Projetos de I&D em Todos os Domínios Científicos - 2022 - ICDT

Abstract

Microbial adhesion to surfaces (biofilm) and consequent biofouling formation has been documented in many different environments. Biofilms provide a protected mode of microorganisms' growth, allowing them to survive in hostile conditions. However, their omnipresence impacts direct and indirect all societal infrastructures, including marine operations, water utility management, e.g., transportation, (on)offshore energy systems, water treatment. When settled in these infrastructures, they imply severe economic and environmental losses, as well as biological risks to society. Their natural ability to harbour microbial populations of viruses and disease-causing bacteria, often promoting outbreaks, and the premature biocorrosion of surface materials, known as Microbially Influenced Corrosion (MIC), are the higher direct effects associated with biofilms, involving huge costs only for rehabilitation, and underestimated environmental and long-term societal impacts, amplified by the increasing consumption and global warming. Anti-biofouling strategies have been widely pursued. However, most effective rely on the release of toxic and persistent agents in the vicinity of contaminated surfaces via the aquatic environments, implying shorter protection periods and leading to ecotoxicity effects on ecosystems, and remain ineffective under the current environmental demand and guidelines. Biofouling prevention and control are considered a European priority, and green solutions for the industrial activities sustainable a key requirement for transforming the European industrial landscape in the green transition at the core of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, encouraging efforts to understand and manage the role of microorganisms in society and the sustainability of its infrastructure. In this context, emergent preventive strategies have highlighted the potential of functional nano-agents. But those lacks efficacy, proof-of-concept under more realistic conditions, and assessment of their environmental impact,  since still rely on releasing mechanisms, been their cumulative side-effects on the aquatic environment posed under scrutiny. These gaps are challengingtheir implementation. This NanoBioMitig project aims to find novel natural-inspired non-toxic nanomaterials to infer protective effects against microfouling and evolved biofouling on industrial surfaces. It will take advantage of the team's know-how in non-release strategies with industrial validation, natural agents, biofouling, nanotechnologies and ecotoxicity to explore the immobilization of natural phytochemical bioactive metabolites in nano-systems and generate protective nanocomposite coatings based on commercial polymer matrices. The non-release approach combined with the valorization of currently underexploited natural bioresources will allow the development of ecological and long-lasting preventive measures against bio-threats towards real-world application. For the proposed greener bio-mitigation alternative it is intended to use different synergistic strategies, namely: i. screening of most promising available phytochemicals using criteria based on their structural functionality with grafting susceptibility, stability, bioactivity and ecotoxicity; ii. to design bioactive nano-agents, functionalised with the selected phytochemicals, and capable of inferring amplified bioactivity after immobilization in various commercial coating matrices suitable for different aquatic systems and conditions; iii. to investigate the relationship between the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials and bioactivity, allowing for a better understanding of nano-surface tailoring properties toward bioactive function; iv. to evaluate the environmental compatibility of nanomaterials; and v. testing the anti-biofouling performance of the most promising nanocomposite coatings under laboratory, simulated prototype and real conditions to address different scenarios and potential applications. The NanoBioMitig project is supported by a interdisciplinary and complementary team, including two research groups from FCiências.ID, BioISI-team (anti-biofouling strategies, real validation, nanotribology and microbiology), and MARE-team (ecotoxicity, natural bioactive agents), and two more research groups, one from FEUP, Lepabe-team (biofilms, simulated prototype testing) and other from  IST-ID, iBB-team (surface properties of nanotechnologies). Together they will ultimately provide non-toxic and scalable natural-based  nano-agents, methodologies for their immobilization in coatings for surface protection against biofouling and a better understanding of their interaction with microbial communities. They will also boost the valorization of biological resources and provide strategies for potential exploitation in the field, which have a relevant impact on preventing and minimising the effects of biofouling on infrastructure and the environment.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • FCiênciasID Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências (Fciências.ID)

Other Institutions

  • Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento (IST-ID)
  • Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP)
  • Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências (FCUP)

Funding 249.979,89 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

249.979,89 €