An innovative bio-based concrete alternative is being tested by researchers at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) to reinforce coastlines while fostering marine life.
A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science explains that Xiriton technology, which allows for the creation of "nature-enriching, low-impact building materials" from local grasslands, could be the answer to creating resilient and hospitable coastal environments.
Xiriton is not a single product but rather a method for producing variants based on materials that can be found locally. Generally, it's composed of chopped dried grass, volcanic pozzolan, slaked lime, crushed shells, sand, and seawater, according to an NIOZ article.
Instead of pouring permanent concrete structures made from highly polluting materials, this new product allows researchers to create more natural, temporary ones that can offer a home to mussels and oysters, where populations have declined or disappeared entirely.
At the research center in Yerseke, blocks were placed in a mudflat zone exposed to tides twice a day.
"After a year, every block was around 70% covered with life such as oysters, mussels, and algae," said Ph.D. candidate and study co-author Victoria Mason, per NIOZ.
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"This indicates that Xiriton blocks are not only cheap, sustainable, and practical to manufacture on a large scale, but also suitable for use in enhancing settlement and potentially restoring biodiversity. By adjusting the lifetime of the material, it can also break down naturally into harmless substances once a reef can sustain itself, instead of remaining permanently in the ecosystem."
Data from Cambridge University indicated that, in 2023, 2.15 billion people lived in coastal regions, and that number is expected to rise.
At the same time, the pollution from the buildings and construction sector accounts for nearly 40% of the global output.
Sorely needed are solutions that can address the increase in population density and housing needs while also reducing planet-warming carbon pollution that is driving rising temperatures and sea levels.
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Definitely 👍 Xiriton is a carbon-negative, circular product that, with regulatory approval and adoption by the industry, could make headway in both areas.
The materials that make up traditional cement are highly carbon-intensive, and global cement manufacturing is responsible for a stunning 8% of the world's total carbon dioxide pollution.
In contrast, Xiriton can be made with natural materials, and additives such as recycled brick rubble, desert or sea sand, and crushed seashells add density and weight. It also serves as a carbon sink to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere.
The process also uses ditch or seawater instead of precious fresh water, and the product's creator said that seawater strengthens the binder matrix.
"For the purpose of intertidal restoration, we need materials that are not environmentally harmful in the short or long term. As well as that, they need to be inexpensive enough to be upscaled to larger projects and different areas," Mason added, per NIOZ.
The research team has already tested the material's suitability as a substrate for shell banks and salt marsh restoration, and its continued experimentation with Xiriton could lead to the advancement of more ecologically sound coastal mitigation solutions.
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