Centre for Biofouling Control

Biofouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants, and animals on wetted surfaces. It is a complex and recurring problem for marine and biomedical industries leading to huge maintenance costs. Severe invasion of aquaculture cage nets by biofouling species reduces dissolved oxygen available to fish, leading to infectious diseases and parasites which impede fish growth. Biofouling on ship hulls leads to the transport of invasive species and the excess consumption of fuel. In biomedical devices biofouling leads to failure, for example in biodiagnostic platforms, implants, and in catheters. Biofouling of such devices is a leading cause of death during hospital stays.
Understanding biofouling and addressing it is a hugely complex scientific problem. We utilize and collaborate with researchers across Canada and internationally, using a unique set of tools to characterize biofouling. The Centre houses the following excellent instrumentation: Optical Microscopes, Particle Tracking System, Quartz Crystal Microbalance, UV-Vis Spectrometer, Nanoscale IR Imaging System, Atomic Force Microscope System, Raman Imaging Spectrometer, Cell Culture Station, and Synthetic Station.