Prototyping of the Living Reefs project

Within the framework of the R&D project “LIVING REEFS ECOHORMIGÓN PARA ARRECIFES ARTIFICIALES Y OTRAS INFRAESTRUCTURAS MARÍTIMAS”, led by Rover Maritime, a series of concrete prototypes have recently been installed in real environment (Port of Sagunto).

Once the eco-concrete structures are placed in the sea, the ability to colonize marine life will be monitored through periodic monitoring campaigns. Three concrete blocks of 1 m3 each and one floating cube have been melted down, which will be used to observe the differences in colonization between the surface and the bottom.

These blocks have been manufactured with the different eco-concretes developed in the project that comprise waste such as rice straw or volcanic ash from the recent eruption of Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma.

With this project, in collaboration with other entities (Polytechnic University of Valencia-ICITECH, Universitat Jaume I, Catholic University of Valencia-IMEDMAR and the company Ingeomar), it continues to develop the line of work started in 2020 with the Living Ports project, also financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency, whose main purpose is the development of sustainable concrete, specially designed for use in maritime port infrastructure because of their ability to promote the settlement and growth of marine species and thus transform port infrastructure from an inhospitable area with little variety of species to a high-wealth area biological and fully integrated into the natural environment.