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.