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Reef Design Lab crafts Erosion Mitigation Units from recycled oyster shells
CategoriesSustainable News

Reef Design Lab crafts Erosion Mitigation Units from recycled oyster shells

By Zarkon Group,

Melbourne studio Reef Design Lab has created a series of organically shaped modules from concrete blended with oyster shells to help reduce coastal erosion in Port Phillip Bay, Australia.

The Erosion Mitigation Units (EMU), which have been longlisted in the Dezeen Awards sustainable design category, were used to build a breakwater to reduce coastal erosion and designed to create a habitat for marine life.

Erosion Mitigation Units are semi-submerged modules
Erosion Mitigation Units are semi-submerged modules

Designed for the City of Greater Geelong municipality by Port Phillip Bay, the two-metre-wide EMU modules form a permeable barrier 60 meters offshore, where the water depth ranges from 30 to 130 centimetres.

Reef Design Lab opted for an organic shape to minimise the material use and maintain structural integrity while creating refuges and colonies for ocean life.

A snorkeler is visiting the EMU breakwater
The breakwater is a snorkelling destination

The design team used digital moulding analysis alongside traditional casting techniques to produce the precast reusable moulds in its Melbourne studio.

This saved a significant amount of cement compared to using 3D concrete printing, according to the studio.

Reef Design Lab also added locally sourced oyster shells, which it says makes for an ideal surface for shellfish, as aggregates in the concrete mix to manufacture the EMU modules.

The geometry of the modules was optimised to create the habitat conditions needed for marine species to live on them.

An overhang provides resting space for stingrays and pufferfish, while tunnels and caves on the module shelter fish, octopus and crustaceans from predators and provide shaded surfaces for sponges and cold water coral to grow on.

The module shelters fish from predators
The module shelters fish from predators

The module’s surface was designed with one-centimetre-wide ridges and made rough on purpose to reveal the shell aggregate and attract reef-building species such as tube worms, mussels and oysters.

Designed to be covered in small pools, the modules retain water and shelter intertidal species at low tide.

Reef Design Lab installed 46 modules of EMU in six hours
Reef Design Lab installed 46 modules of EMU

In October 2022, Reef Design Lab installed 46 EMU modules in Port Phillip Bay. The breakwater is being monitored by the Melbourne Universities Centre for Coasts and Climate for the next five years.

Six months after the installation, species including shellfish, sponges and cold water corals were colonising the modules, the studio said.

Another breakwater project that aims to fulfil engineering and ecological requirements is the Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab in San Fransisco Bay by a team at the California College of the Arts.

Off the coast of Cannes in France, British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor created the Underwater Museum of Cannes, a collection of six large underwater sculptures, to call for more care for ocean life.

The photography is courtesy of Reef Design Lab.

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An eco-friendly helmet made from waste scallop shells
CategoriesSustainable News

An eco-friendly helmet made from waste scallop shells

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Each year, Soya district in northern Japan produces 40,000 tonnes of shells. This marine waste is an inevitable result of the fishing industry in Sarufutsu Village, which regularly wins the prize for Japan’s largest scallop catch. Until 2021, scallop shells were exported out of the country for re-use, but this trade has now ceased. And, while the shells are picked up and disposed of by companies for a fee, there have been issues with the shells being stacked in large piles before disposal. 

Now, Sarufutsu village, along with creative agency TBWA\Hakuhodo, design startup Quantum, and plastics manufacturer Koushi Chemical Industry, has come up with a solution: an environmentally friendly helmet made from the discarded shells. In addition to cutting down on plastics, the ‘SHELLMET’ protects fishermen working in an industry that is notoriously dangerous, especially in a part of the world prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rain, and snow.  

Moreover, the SHELLMET contributes to a 36 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to a helmet made from 100 per cent new plastic, as well as a 20 per cent reduction compared to limestone-derived eco-plastics. As a result, the eco-friendly helmet not only solves a particular problem facing the local community – it also demonstrates how waste materials can reduce environmental impact by replacing fossil-derived plastic. 

The design of the SHELLMET is inspired by biomimicry – the application of the mechanisms of the natural world to technological development. After all, shells protect scallops and oysters in the wild, and the helmet’s design incorporates a special rib structure that mimics the shape of the scallop shells. The partnership claims this improves the helmet’s durability by around 30 per cent.  

Other innovations spotted by Springwise that put marine waste to use include tiles made from fish scales, batteries made from crab shells, and shrimp shells used to strengthen concrete. 

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

Strengthening cement with shrimp shells
CategoriesSustainable News

Strengthening cement with shrimp shells

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: As the world industrialised, cement became the glue that held civilisation together. It was used to build the homes we live in, the roads we travel on, and the bridges that connect us. However, cement production is carbon intensive and is responsible for approximately 8 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. As nations continue to urbanise and industrialise, the demand for cement is only expected to grow. As part of the effort to find a way to meet this demand while reducing the strain on the environment, researchers at Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have added nanoparticles from shrimp shells to cement.

The research, which was published in the journal of Cement and Concrete Composites, describes the process of putting nanoparticles extracted from the shells of shrimp waste into cement paste. The result is a material that is significantly stronger than traditional cement. By increasing the strength of cement, it is possible to reduce the amount needed. Less cement needed means less made, and thus fewer carbon emissions.

The shells of crustacean arthropods are made up of 20 to 30 per cent chitin. Chitin nanocrystals are what allowed the research team to change some of cement’s properties, such as its consistency, setting time, strength, and durability. The researchers reported an increase of 40 per cent in strength and a 12 per cent increase in resilience to compression.

Next up, the researchers are hoping to scale up their work.

Springwise has spotted a number of innovations aiming to decarbonise the cement industry. These include a research team at the University of Colorado Boulder who have created a cement made using microalgae. Springwise has also spotted cement made from fruit and vegetable scraps, and a vaulted floor design that minimises the cement used.  

Written By: Katrina Lane

22nd August 2022

Email: wolcott@wsu.edu

Website: wsu.edu

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