Artificial Electrolytic Structures as Mitigation and Restoration Elements from Environmental Impacts in Marine Habitats

Abstract

This work describes a method to create submarine artificial structures based on light metallic structures covered by calcareous layers obtained by electrolysis in sea water, with full environmental safety of the process. For structures based on meshes of cylindrical steel wire, the thickness of the deposited layer increases linearly with time for widths up to 2 mm. In the case of thicker layers, mathematical modelization suggests that the evolution of the deposited layer width might not be linear. Under the experimental conditions of this work, the deposited layers were mainly composed of stable crystalline forms of calcium carbonate. No significant presence of magnesium containing minerals was found in the deposited layers. The composition and texture of the obtained surfaces might be deemed as optimum from the point of view of providing colonization sites for the sessile benthic organisms of interest. These structures may be used as elements that can be included in the design of environmental remediation applications. Regarding their potential applications, once deployed in the marine environment and colonized by sessile benthic filter-feeding species, the structures could contribute to the improvement of sea water quality in commercial ports or marinas, which might be affected by organic pollution.

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