4. Conclusions
Relative BSA adhesion and microalgal biofouling intensities resemble the Baier curve. The Baier minimum was achieved with the H-X3 coating based on FRC hydrogel. These results demonstrate that the short-term BSA batch test can serve as a proxy to predict microalgae culture biofouling. Vogler’s biocompatibility theory only reconciled Baier’s theory for the H-X3 coating. All the rigid materials and coatings failed to completely prevent BSA protein adhesion and microalgal biofouling. Adsorption of extracellular proteins secreted by N. gaditana most probably occurred prior to cell adhesion. Fine-tuning the N/P ratio might be an interesting way to modulate sticky protein production (and EOS in general) in N. gaditana cultures. Avoiding early protein adhesion should be a preliminary step to designing or selecting materials and coatings for the manufacture of photobioreactors.