"ALTERNATIVE MARINE COATINGS, AN ENVIRONMENTAL OPTION"

CURRENT MARINE ANTIFOULING COATINGS RELY ON THE ACTIVITY OF TRIBUTYLTIN COMPLEXES, EITHER POLYMER BOUND OR FREELY ASSOCIATED IN A VINYL MATRIX PAINT, TO INHIBIT OR LIMIT SESSILE FOULING. PENDING FEDERAL LEGISLATION IS DIRECTED ATPROHIBITING OR RESTRICTING THE AMOUNT OF ANTIFOULANT ENTERING THE BIOSPHERE AND FOODCHAIN. IN LIGHT OF THESE FACTS AN ALTERNATE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM IS NECESSARY. KROSS INCORPORATED PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AN ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE, LONG-LIVED ANTIFOULING SYSTEM BASED UPON: (1) THE EVALUATION OF A NEW GENERATION OF SELECTIVE, ORGANIC BIOCIDAL AGENTS AND (2) MICROENCAPSULATED CONTROLLED RELEASEORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS, FORMULATED IN A MODEL COATING. PRESENT FORMULATIONS RELY ON POORLY CONTROLLED EROSION OR MICROCHANNELING PHENOMENA. THE PURPOSE IN USING CONTROLLED RELEASE TECHNOLOGIES, PROVIDES FOR ENHANCED RELEASE PROFILESAND FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGNING MICROENCAPSULATING SYSTEMS THE USE OF SELECTIVE BIOCIDAL AGENTS OR CONTROLLED RELEASE TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGNING EN-ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE, ANTIFOULING COATINGS. WE WILL EVALUATE SELECTED FORMULATIONS LUNDER DYNAMIC CONDITIONS IN BISCAYNE BAY, FLORIDA. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES A NEW GENERATION OF SELECTIVE ANTIFOULING AGENTS AND A NEW STRATEGY FOR CONTROLLING EROSION BASED MATERIALS. ALTERNATELY, THE MICROENCAPSULATION OF ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS PROVIDES IN- CREASED SAFE HANDING MARGINS.