Krone-Projekte

Naturnaher Baustoff

 

Alternative reef material

A semi-natural calcareous reef material could be used to shape habitat for reef organisms and scour protections as well. The wind turbines currently planned will be built of steel and concrete. For scour protection the employment of bolder fields or synthetic textiles (sandbags and foils) are planned to be placed around the piles on the sea floor. Especially the scour protection materials, once placed in the sea, are difficult to remove. It is assumed that the construction of more reef-like offshore foundations using more natural material is very time and money consuming. By the mineral accretion technology (MAT, also called electrochemical accretion technology EAT) three-dimensional structures can be generated. By electrochemical deposition calcium and magnesium ions precipitate on a cathode. The accreted solid material consists only of marine minerals and is comparable to thalassogenic coral rock. It can be produced on site. As an advantage, the MAT material could spontaneously be dissolved if necessary. This material could be used to create environmentally benign artificail reefs and to increase the reef character of foundations or other secondary artificial reefs if designated.

The EAT material was successfully tested and produced in North Sea water.

(Krone, 2012; Schröder et al., 2008)

Top