Biofouling prevention and control technology for marine engineering equipment: from traditional methods to...

Marine engineering equipment constitutes the core infrastructure for marine resource exploitation, environmental protection, and scientific research, with its reliable operation critical to advancing marine industries such as offshore oil and gas extraction, wind power development, and seawater desalination. Biofouling-characterized by the adhesion and proliferation of marine organisms-on the surfaces of offshore marine engineering equipment significantly increases maintenance costs while compromising both stability of equipment performance and service life. This dynamic issue is further complicated by anthropogenic environmental changes, such as ocean acidification and global warming, which alter fouling community structures and geographic distributions-rendering traditional single-component strategies insufficient, as highlighted by existing reviews that focus on either specific technologies or individual equipment types. Current mitigation strategies, including physical removal, chemical interventions, and biomimetic designs, are reviewed here, with emphasis on emerging eco-friendly innovations like degradable materials, natural antifoulants, and smart responsive coatings. Additionally, interdisciplinary advancements, including AI-driven fouling prediction models, IoT-based real-time monitoring, and adaptive control systems, are explored to address the evolving complexities of biofouling management. Meanwhile, the main identified gaps include the ambiguity of environment-biology coupling mechanisms and the lack of standardized cross-scenario antifouling evaluation systems. Future research should prioritize multi-disciplinary coupling technologies and AI-driven predictive management to address biofouling's evolving complexities.