CORAL CARBONATE

Calcium Carbonate is 3D printed to mimic the materiality which makes up the hard structural home of Coral’s living polyp inhabitants. This unique material development has led to the invention of a working prototype in support of a wide range of ocean life ecosystems by fabricating and reseeding a 3D printed synthetic calcium carbonate scaffold. The 3D printed coral is currently being tested with 3D printed structures, tiles, and frags used to further research and test live applications and support of coral seeding, regrowth, as well as a biological substrate for the growth of other ocean life.

This project and application goes beyond simply a substrate to seed and supplement the growth of coral, but creates a link between our anthropocentric built environment and surrounding natural ecosystems.  This project has applications in coast line infrastructure, aquaculture, and bio remediation as substrate and surface to foster growth of aquatic organisms.

By combining design and material innovation with the rapid and customizable fabrication potential of 3D printing, this unique application for ocean life conservation can be readily deployed at various scales in any unique environment.

The novel method in application of 3DP CaCO3 is in recreating a similar material composition through contemporary fabrication methods of 3D printing. By utilizing the friable nature of CaCO3 and its sedimentary properties as a viable solution in fabrication of solid substrate objects, this project has secured a proprietary patent pending for production and application of 3D-printed calcium carbonate material.

The goal is to print the scaffold for a “house” of which biological organisms will inhabit and grow their own new homes and communities. Once embedded, marine life can take advantage of a substrate most similar to their native home. The frags are then embedded with young baby coral and used for further propagation. This can happen at multiple scales and in many conditions. It’s not just coral that benefits from inhabiting these objects, various studies have shown that marine life thrives from biodiversity in an abundance of organisms from the size of algae to fish.

Local: San Francisco, USA
Year: 2021
AM Technology: Binder Jetting
Material: 3D printing calcium carbonate material (patent pending)

Link of the original project