Some of the Major Applications of Biorock Technology
Some of the major applications of biorock technology are:
Coral Reef Preservation
Biorock technology facilitates the survival and growth of coral reefs by providing suitable habitats and improving resistance to environmental pollution. They help certain marine species to recover from damage and grow at a faster rate. The biorock process creates the ideal conditions for different forms of marine life that are under threat of climate change and environmental pollution. Corals growing on biorock reefs have better chances of survival as compared to other areas.
Protecting Marine Construction
The advantage of biorock is in repairing cracks and damages by filling with cement-like hard limestone or calcium carbonate. It has useful applications in reinforcing steel and concrete structures in the waterbed. Structures that need to be replaced due to deterioration can be repaired by the biorock process at a much less cost. The biorock technology internally repairs and permanently addresses rusting problems of the steel structures. Even wooden structures can be protected by biorock treatment.
Preventing Shore Erosion
Biorock structures are used as breakwaters that slow down heavy water waves using the force of friction. This helps in shore protection as the waves pass through these structures with less force and avoid erosion of shores. These constructions prevent waves from continuously washing away sand and damaging sea shores. Biorock breakwaters don’t decay over time and become harder and stronger.
Sustaining Marine Lives
Biorock technology is used to prepare specially designed structures that favour the survival, growth, and healthy living conditions for various marine species. Biorock systems provide new ways of sustainable aquaculture by providing suitable habitats and food for fishes, lobsters, and other marine creatures.
Sea Grass Restoration
Seagrass is more likely to survive and thrive when using the biorock approach. It is even encouraged to develop and spread its roots on hard rock where they would ordinarily be difficult to do so. Seagrasses are an essential component of the habitat for young fish and shellfish. By stabilizing sand, they also offer essential shore protection services. Globally, seagrasses are being rapidly destroyed, and Biorock technology offers the quickest means of restoring them.
Salt Marsh Restoration
With the help of biorock technology, salt marsh grass grows and blooms much more quickly and can survive in water depths that are deeper than they would normally be able to. As a result, oil spills and pollution-related damage to salt marshes can be quickly repaired. Salt marsh can be expanded seaward and deeper than it would ordinarily be able to, adding land where the shoreline is disappearing. Although salt marshes are quickly disappearing worldwide, they are essential to shore protection and serve as essential habitats for young fish, shellfish, and birds.
Fisheries Restoration
Biorock technologies create the ideal habitat to rebuild damaged fisheries, particularly on bare sand, mud, or rock where there are no reefs or seagrass to provide nursery habitat for young fish to hide in. Around Biorock projects, populations of fish, oysters, mussels, lobsters, crabs, and gigantic clams rapidly expand, resulting in enormous fish schools. Fishermen in Indonesia note a rise in the variety, size, and quantity of fish in the vicinity of Biorock initiatives.
Sustainable Aquaculture
The populations, growth, and health of marine species that are commercially valuable are greatly enhanced by biorock environments. For example, spiny lobster populations greatly rise when they swarm in vast numbers into the Biorock lobster habitat. With the rapid development of extremely diversified marine ecosystems that produce their own food, these structures establish a new paradigm for sustainable aquaculture that eliminates pollution and the need for pricey imported feeds.
Biorock Technology
Biorock Technology is used to preserve coral reefs by constructing materials under the sea that resemble rocks. It is the technique through which seawater is passed via a very low-voltage electric current. Crystalline salts of minerals dissolved in water are formed as a result, and they deposit. The deposited crystals, which are primarily calcium carbonate, form a structure on the waterbed that is similar to coral reefs that are formed naturally.
Biorock Technology is one of the most important topics for the UPSC exam. Here in this article, we will be discussing the process of formation, features, and some major applications of biorock technology in detail.
Table of Content
- What is Biorock Technology?
- Process of Biorock Formation
- Features of Biorock Technolgy
- Important Data About Biorock Technology
- Some of the Major Applications of Biorock Technology
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