[9/20/2010]--Brian Reed, Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working with the U.S. Naval Station Pearl Harbor to investigate methods to clean hulls of naval ships without releasing antifouling paint into the ocean environment. Antifouling paint contains 50% copper which is harmful to marine organisms. The technology being tested will take the hull cleaning material (a mixture of marine growth that normally grows on hulls; e.g., barnacles, and chips of antifouling paint) and separate the solids for proper disposal and return the treated water to the ocean. Frequent cleaning of naval vessel hulls dramatically increases their speed and fuel efficiency. This process will contribute to the Navy’s to “Great Green Fleet” initiative.