ENHANCING BIODIVERSITY IN THE ATLANTIC AREA THROUGH SUSTAINABLE ARTIFICIAL REEFS
TED2021-129532B-I00
Funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR
The GENERAL GOAL of the project is to assess 3 different techniques of fabrication of artificial reefs: direct 3D printing with mortar; fabrication of formworks by 3D printing; use of gabions.
Three different criteria will be used in the comparison: cost, environmenttal impact and biorreceptivity
The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of the project are the following:
Prof. Group of Applied Research Technology of Construction (GITECO).
Responsible of the design and construction of new artificial reefs.
elena.blanco@unican.es
Full Professor. IHCantabria
Responsible of the biological monitoring of the new artificial reefs.
araceli.puente@unican.es
DR. LAURA CASTAÑÓN JANO (UC)
Assistant Prof. Area of Manufacturing Processes.
Responsible of the development of formworks fabricated by 3D.
DR. XABIER GUINDA SALSAMENDI (IHCantabria)
Researcher. IHCantabria
Responsible of the scientific diving
Second assessment of the colonisation of the artificial reefs after seven months of their installation. The reefs are covered by biotic communities more developed and attract mobile species that find shelter in them, building artificial habitats with great biodiversity. As a counterpart, some of the reef models tested are intensively colonised by the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae.
First assessment of the colonisation of the artificial reefs after two and a half months of their installation. The reefs are covered by pioneer flora and fauna species, while in the contiguous rocky bottoms the massive presence of the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae is detected for the first time in Cantabria.
Eight artificial reefs have been submerged in the Bay of Santander, between Isla de la Torre and Isla de la Horadada. Four of them are concrete pieces using a 3D printed formwork, and another four are gabions with CDW.
The manufacture of 4 artificial reefs using gabions has been completed. Stainless steel wire has been used for the gabion cage. Two of the gabions have been filled with concrete from CDW, and another two with ceramic from CDW.
Two of a total of four expected reefs have been fabricated for the project. These two reefs have been manufactured with a low carbon print binding, employing a cement of low Clinker content (only 16%) and flying ashes. The aggregate is natural limestone 0-3mm. A biodegradable release agent composed of starch and gelatine has been employed.
A mould has been fabricated with PLA that will be used as a framework to build artificial reefs. The company LowPoly has collaborated in the fabrication.
The development of the formwork to be 3D printed in plastic has started for the fabrication of the concrete artificial reefs. The design is based in one of the patterns of the project 3DPare.
In order to determine what materials are going to be employed to fabricate artificial reefs built by a plastic formwork printed in 3D two new mortars have been developed using a Portland cement of low CO2 emissions and a geopolimer.
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