Using physical tools to assess online, real-time, continuous information about biofilms in technical water systems is a key component of an early-warning antifouling strategy. However, online biofilm monitoring is not yet relevant in real-field practice, nor in lab studies. In this review we analyse online biofilm monitoring from an academic perspective to provide insights on what science can improve to bring it to the spotlight of biofouling management and prevention. We argue the need to involve a broader community of biofilm researchers on the use of online monitoring to deepen biofilm studies (e.g. linking biofilm features, dynamics and operational impact) as well as the need for more, and better detailed studies. This will, consequently, reinforce the added value of biofilm monitoring as part of an early-warning antifouling strategy while bridging the techniques’ potential to the real-field needs. Finally, we propose a framework to improve laboratorial and field studies.

使用物理工具在线、实时、连续地评估技术水系统中生物膜的信息是预警防污策略的关键组成部分。然而，在线生物膜监测在实际实践和实验室研究中尚不相关。在这篇综述中，我们从学术角度分析了在线生物膜监测，以提供关于科学可以改进哪些方面的见解，从而使其成为生物污垢管理和预防的焦点。我们认为需要让更广泛的生物膜研究人员社区参与使用在线监测来深化生物膜研究（例如，将生物膜特征、动力学和操作影响联系起来）以及需要更多、更详细的研究。因此，这将 加强生物膜监测的附加值作为预警防污策略的一部分，同时将技术的潜力与实际需求联系起来。最后，我们提出了一个改进实验室和实地研究的框架。