Reducing the ecological footprint of ports with ECOncrete®’s bio-enhancing concrete technologies

Project Information

Living Ports

Grant agreement ID: 970972

DOI

10.3030/970972

Project closed

EC signature date 6 May 2021

Start date 1 June 2021

End date 30 November 2024

Funded under

• Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

Total cost

€ 3 117 618,75

EU contribution

€ 2 484 292,88

Coordinated by

ECONCRETE TECH LTD
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - Living Ports (Reducing the ecological footprint of ports with ECOncrete®’s bio-enhancing concrete technologies)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

70% of Coastal & Marine Infrastructures (CMI) are concrete based, and cement, the key ingredient in concrete, is the source of 8% of the world's CO2 emissions, yet concrete is known as a poor substrate for marine flora and fauna to thrive and CMI are designed and built with little or no ecological consideration.
ECO has created and validated a science-based solution for thriving ecosystems and high-performing concrete structures.
The technology is designed to encourage development of rich and diverse marine life as an integral part of CMI, and is based on three core elements: bio-enhancing compositions, complex textures and science-based designs, which synergistically decrease the ecological footprint of CMI while enhancing their strength and durability through Bioprotection - a process in which species like oysters and barnacles deposit calcitic skeletons onto the concrete.
Objectives
Technology industrialisation. Develop large scale production and logistics capacity for the technology
Production and deployment of 2 sites
Nautilus Platform. A floating platform that has wide underwater windows which allows monitoring tasks and reinforcing environmental education
Monitor the impact of ECO’s solutions - biological, structural and acoustics.
Communicate and disseminate the project results.
Potential customer engagement through a LinkedIn profile and a Web Page, develop public relations and marketing strategies, establish presence on the market and raise awareness among investors and potential customers EU-wide and internationally.
Commercialization strategy
ROM and EN code. Gain inclusion of the technology in ROM (Recomendaciones de Obras Marítimas).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

WP1
Ecological and engineering requirements defined by ECO, environmental reports and technical specifications for construction completed.
Detailed design for construction completed.

WP2
Observation platform for monitoring design completed by CAR and construction process started under CAR’s leadership too.
Technical specifications, mold designs and quality assurance protocols completed by ECO.

WP3
Molds & powders designed, produced and shipped by ECO and were stored in Vigo ready for the construction phase.
Tendering process issued by VIGO and successful contractor bidders awarded with a contract.
Construction and deployment phase completed, waterfront infrastructures commissioned.
Monitoring platform built and commissioned.
Topographic surveys on the Bouzas breakwater

WP4
Monitoring devices procured, calibrated, shipped, and stored in Vigo. Sound, structural and biological monitoring baseline data collection completed
Monitoring protocol completed in May 2023, including acoustic monitoring baseline data
Monitoring process conducted through 4 different campaigns between April 2023 and March 2024. All actions were performed by DTU, ECO, VIGO and a subcontracted acoustic monitoring expert
Report of biological, structural and acoustic results developed

WP5
Official website, LinkedIn profile, DTU Website and Youtube channel updated for dissemination and communication purposes
https://www.livingports.eu
https://www.linkedin.com/company/living-ports/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O1Y65nHyoE

Communication channels and entities:
El Faro de Vigo
Nius Diario
Cadena SER
Atlantico
La voz de Galicia
El Español

Exploitation actions:
Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) reviewed the project as a case study for potential future Blue Flag certification for working waterfronts
Letter of interest from Puertos del Estado in the creation of guidelines on the future inclusion of bioenhancing and sustainable concrete technologies in the ROM directions

Events and Award Nominations
COP28 summit - project presentation
Shortlisted for the ESPO Award 2023. “Nature restoration projects in ports benefiting the local community” category
Conferences within EurOCEAN 2023 side events framework - Visit the Nautilus Submarine Observatory of the Port of Vigo
Winner - World Maritime Week Award, “Futureport” category
Winner - Atlantic Project Award 2023, “Atlantic Ports” category
Presentation to the “BLUE PORTS AND DESTINATIONS” AWARD
Participation XVII Jornadas Españolas de Ingeniería de Costas y Puertos
DTU article “HABITAT.Havne-konstruktioner til gavn for livet i havet” (Port constructions for the benefit of life in the sea)

Presentations by the FEE/Blue Flag organization
Blue Flag National Operators Meeting - Madeira, PT-10/2022
BF International Website - news article - Blue Flag and Living Ports: Improve How Future Working Waterfronts Look And Function — Blue Flag
BF Spanish language - International Conference - Las Palmas, Canary Islands, ES-11/2022
BF International Jury information - online – 4/2023
FEE General Assembly - Blue Flag presentation – BE/NL – 6/2023
ICOMIA International Conference - Vilamoura, PT-10/2023
Blue Flag National Operators 2023 - virtual meeting -10/2023
Sail Training International Conference - Captain Vessels’ committee - Dunkirk, FR-11/2023

Nautilus observatory visits and dissemination activities
Specific outreach programs on the marine environment and the project for schools, citizens, and social groups
Collaboration in environmental dissemination events organized by local stakeholders
Blue week event - Ría de Vigo Nautical Cluster Association
Marine Research Centre anniversary event - University of Vigo
The total number of visitors during the project was 65,233

WP6
Risk Assessment Plan defined
Bimonthly follow up meetings
Financial monitoring of partners’ incurred costs

Steering Committee (SC) meetings
Video conference in January 2023
Face-to-face meeting held in Vigo on March 24, 2023
1 online SC meeting (Nov 2023)
Closing SC meeting, Denmark, April 2024

WP7
Protection of Personal Data Protocol established
Personal Data Protection Committee appointed
Data Protection Officer appointed
Environmental and health and safety procedures established to avoid harming the environment and humans during the production and construction phase

Protection of Personal Data Protocol followed up by each partner in accordance with the Data Protection Agreement Addendum to the CA
Personal Data Protection Committee discussions held

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Socio-economic - Introduce a cost-effective, scalable innovation to the highly traditional CMI industry. The project aims to achieve inclusion of the technology in ROM and Blue Flag, to speed up deployment of the technology across Spain and Europe, to bring benefits to many coastlines in the future. Inclusion also validates the technology strength and durability, which are a key consideration from port authorities
Business development - Expedite market penetration and uptake of ecology-inspired concrete technology, through a public, fully scaled demonstration. Transform ECO from a start-up to a growing SME. It also enables CAR to gain experience with eco-friendly construction and be at the forefront of this growing industry. The scaled de-risking project in the Port of Vigo will overcome the CMI market’s traditional scepticism and act as a flagship project showing the technology can be applied at scale in any coastal or marine infrastructure
Environmental - Significant semi/quantitative environmental impacts in immediate, and medium terms and long-term effects that are beyond the scope of the call
Social - Encourage stronger environmental education and community involvement, through community and outreach programs and communication and dissemination activities

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