Ports converted into living ecosystems. Los Artificial reefdesigned and manufactured by researchers from the University of Alicante (UA) already show increases in up to 50 % in capacity of colonization of the structures by filter organismsthat is, these man -created structures, which mimic the compounds that They release the coralshost (half more than before) organisms that filter water.
The reefs last year their last leap to the ladder of the Queen of the Port of Alicante, after settling in the waters of the Santa Pola and of the Tabarca Marine Reserve.
And this system not only favors biodiversity, but also acts as carbon dioxide sink. “Since we are forming them, until we put them in the sea, they are consuming CO2,” he explains Carlos Antón, Doctor of ElectrochemistryResearcher of the Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology of the UA, responsible for the experimental execution of the project.
The main researcher of the project, Carlos Antón, with several prototypes of artificial reefs / Pilar Cortés
Since we form the structures, until we place them in the sea, they are consuming CO2
The scientist details that colonizing microorganisms and shells of organisms that adhere to structures contribute to reduce carbon levels in the marine environment. In addition, these structures function as biofiltros, helping Clean water and detect invasive specieswhich is crucial for the protection of marine ecosystems.
The MERS_OCEANSOLIONS research project, which has been taking shape for seven years, has just received a important institutional support that brings him closer to the future creation of a Spin-off university. The idea has recently been awarded one of the Awards impulse 2025 of the University of Alicanterecognition of the innovative, sustainable and transferable character of the proposal.
The project has won the UA impulse award, an impulse to create a spin-off
How are they manufactured?
The idea of inducing carbonate formation through Marine electrolysis (process that uses electricity to separate the components of seawater, mainly hydrogen and oxygen) was formulated by Wolf Hilbertz in 1979, and has demonstrated its technical viability in various natural, artistic and ecological contexts, as Antón explains, who adds that “as far as we have knowledge, had not adapted or applied to real portswith its technical and environmental particularities. “
The artificial reef of the UA mimic the compounds that excrete the corals / Pilar Cortés
As far as we have knowledge, marine electrolysis had not been adapted or applied to real ports
A multidisciplinary team of professors and doctors
Mers_Oceonsolts is promoted by a team of researchers from the University of Alicante with complementary profiles in electrochemistry, civil engineering, marine biology and sustainability.
Carlos Antón GilDoctor of Electrochemistry, researcher of the Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, responsible for the experimental execution of the project, specialized in corrosion, durability and marine electrolysis; Miguel Ángel Climent LlorcaProfessor of Construction Engineering, specialist in metal corrosion and durability of construction materials and structures; Aitor Forcada AlmarchaProfessor of the Department of Sciences of the Sea and applied biology, expert in marine ecology, management of protected marine areas and spatial analysis applied to conservation; Pedro Garcés ThreeProfessor of construction engineering, corrosion researcher, multifunctional concrete and cathodic protection techniques; Vicente Montiel LegueyProfessor of Physical Chemistry and director of the University Institute of Electrochemistry, specialist in electrochemical processes and renewable energies; And finally, Alfonso Ramos EspláProfessor of Marine Biology and Professor Emeritus, reference in Marine Conservation in the Mediterranean and key figure in the creation and scientific monitoring of the Marine Reserve of Tabarca.
That possibility fascinated the professor Antonio Aldaz Riera, who during his last years set out to improve and apply this technology from a rigorous electrochemical perspective. “With limited means, we develop the first prototypes and sit down the foundations for what our project is today. After his death, the work was pause, and it was seven years ago when we decided resume it and transform it In an operational solution, “adds the researcher.
From that legacy, the team has developed A protected system through a utility model (ES1278154U), specially designed for port infrastructures and marine environments.
Various forms
The system can be manufactured on-site, With solar energywithout transport of heavy materials or concrete use, and adapts to existing infrastructure in commercial or any kind ports. The grace that these structures have is that They are modular and that organic forms can even be createdsuch as whales or fish that can be used in aquariums, protected areas and in tourist activities.
Antón points out that the structures are light, economical and manufactured with biocompatible materials, such as Calcium carbonate. “They are manufactured in a short time and with currents that are not high,” he adds.
Artificial Arrecife of the UA located in the port of Alicante / INFORMATION
Whatever we want can last because when there is very little oxygen, corrosion is minimized
Another of its advantages is your durability: “In principle it can last what we want, because in reasonable depths, between three and four meters, there is very little oxygen, which minimizes corrosion,” he explains. In addition, its design allows detect invasive speciesthat fundamentally reach the Mediterranean adhered to ships, which facilitates the protection of marine ecosystems.
“Thanks to this collective work, Mers_Oceonsolicions offers regenerative, viable and aligned technology with the European objectives of Blue economy and decarbonization“, says the scientist, who also highlights the importance of institutional support.
“From its early phases, the Port of Alicanteand in particular their ecological transition division, environmental sustainability and management systems, have trusted our work and have actively supported us. Thanks to this collaboration we have been able to validate our technology Under real conditions, within a port environment committed to innovation and sustainability, “he concludes.
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