Fouling: an overall issue

DOI: 10.12910/EAI2014-38

Giovanna Armiento

The term fouling refers to the accumulation of unwanted material on a surface, with the result of reducing the efficiency and functionality of the surface and/or of the device it belongs to. Fouling affects many more fields than one would expect – medical, marine and industrial – always creating severe losses of money. Here some examples are presented, as well as some methods adopted as fouling countermeasures, also mimicking ingenious strategies derived from nature

Giovanna Armiento - ENEA, Technical Unit for Environmental Characterization, Prevention, and Recovery