PRÉMIO INOVA + 2022

A INOVA+ assinala os seus 25 anos com o lançamento de um concurso nacional para premiar projetos inovadores em contexto científico e empresarial, com potencial de escala internacional. O Prémio INOVA+ destina-se à distinção de ideias, soluções ou tecnologias de excelência científica, bem como de projetos de excelência empresarial, capazes de dar resposta às principais prioridades europeias nas áreas da Inteligência Artificial, Sustentabilidade dos recursos naturais e dos ecossistemas e Soluções digitais para cidades resilientes.

ECO-ReefDesign aims to produce artificial structures (substrate tiles and artificial reef) non-invasive to the pre-existing natural marine environment in the Atlantic coast manufactured with 3D Printing technologies and residue materials (selected because they are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, an essential element to promote benthic organisms’ settlement) considering limestone, mussel shells, coral fossil skeleton and dolomite sand into the formulation mortars.

Objectives

• Contributing to the circular economy industry of limestone exploration and mussel aquaculture production to re-value the applications of residue materials and improving waste management and sustainable actions for the manufacturing and treatment process of coral substrates tiles and artificial reef;
• Developing and promoting innovative approach for marine restoration using 3D Printing technologies considering morphological-dimensional limitations and the dosage required for each formulation;
• Manufacturing substrates tiles controlling the variables: morphology, chemical composition, texture surface and specie target settlement to quantify the results obtained during and after implementation of the substrates under aquarium conditions;
• Manufacturing by 3D Printing artificial reef structures to promote the balanced presence of organism’s colonization and competition, giving them a habitat to get food, shelter, protection and recruitment area under ocean conditions.

Link of the original project