Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
  • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
  • E02B3/06—Moles; Piers; Quays; Quay walls; Groynes; Breakwaters ; Wave dissipating walls; Quay equipment
  • E02B3/062—Constructions floating in operational condition, e.g. breakwaters or wave dissipating walls
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N1/00—Microorganisms, e.g. protozoa; Compositions thereof; Processes of propagating, maintaining or preserving microorganisms or compositions thereof; Processes of preparing or isolating a composition containing a microorganism; Culture media therefor
  • C12N1/12—Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
  • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
  • E02B3/043—Artificial seaweed
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A10/00—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE at coastal zones; at river basins
  • Y02A10/26—Artificial reefs or seaweed; Restoration or protection of coral reefs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the construction of underwater structures, by the implantation on an artificial bottom of floating organisms, for example algae.
• the present invention which was the subject of a first application FR 84.1600.5, aims at structuring the surface waters of the sea, with a material manufactured by the sea and which is naturally adapted to the surface conditions of the sea.
• This natural material chosen is that of certain organisms which float in the sea from a substrate on which they are fixed.
• Certain large algae correspond perfectly to the type of organisms sought, these are in particular those whose flotation system is highly developed thanks to natural floats, the pneumatooystes, as seen in the families of Lessionaceae and of the order of Laminariales.
• biological engineering it will be possible in the future to artificially develop in certain organisms the characteristics favorable to the invention.
• the construction object of the invention is therefore constituted in its lower part by an artificial bottom and in its upper part by a network of natural organisms.
• the elements of the artificial background can be made of any suitable material such as light concrete, wood, textile, plastic or other. These elements can be planes like fabrics, nets or floors; they can be elongated like cords, they can be of various suitable shapes. These elements can be floating or non-floating.
• the floating organisms can follow the variation in height of the water under the influence of the tides. Indeed, in the case of algae for example, these plants can be positioned so that they reach the surface of the sea at the highest water levels, and lie down and float on the surface of the sea at the lowest water level. Thanks to the floating organic part of its networks, the construction will always be adjusted to the changing height of the surface waters.
• Figure 1 shows a high water construction whose head of algae 1 reaches the sea surface 2 from an artificial bottom 3 which floats above moorings 4.
• Figure 3 we see the detail of the Macrocystis alga taken as an example of a floating organism, and we see how this alga by forming a canopy on the surface of the sea, adjust its height to that of the waters.
• an artificial bottom can be constituted by the assembly of a series of modules of isosceles triangular shape, each module of which is like a net "made of ropes of polypropylene or of any other floating material.
• FIG 4 we see how from each summit of one of these modules, deformed by the waterline, leave the mooring lines connecting with the seabed.
• implanted algae can create a coral plant reef according to the process, which will form a breakwater and a lagoon of calm water in the middle of the water.
• Each module can be formed from the juxtaposition of several also isosceles sub-modules.
• the mooring of the artificial bottom on the seabed can be done by anchors, dead bodies, piles, pegs or any other appropriate means. If the length of the mooring lines is great due to the depth of the water, it may be necessary to help the buoyancy of the mooring lines by adding artificial buoys. The fact remains, according to the invention, that it is the buoyancy of natural organisms which will always ensure the buoyancy of the artificial bottom which binds the algae together.
• concretions and fouling - which will come over time and beyond the deep moorings to weigh down the funicular network which binds the algae together - will never be heavy enough to equal and exceed the natural buoyancy of some algae, especially those with pneumatooysts.
• Algae or other floating organisms must be implanted on the artificial bottom at least a first time before any natural renewal.
• Algae or other floating organisms must be implanted on the artificial bottom at least a first time before any natural renewal.
• the seedlings will become algae, the buoyancy of the natural organs, pneumatooystes or others, will add to the buoyancy of the artificial bottom.
• An improvement FR 85-03486 consists in implanting algae or other floating organisms not directly on an artificial bottom made for example of a funicular network, but in implanting them. on an intermediate substrate offering a large surface for attachment to the natural fixing system of each alga.
• This substrate can be a mesh whose meshes are wide enough to allow the algae fixing system to penetrate.
• the wire mesh is large enough to allow each end of the algae attachment system to attach to it.
• the mesh can be made of textile, plastic, or any other non-toxic material, preferably of lighter density than water.
• FIG. 7 we see for example a mesh 5 of polyethylene, wire greater than 2 mm and mesh of about 35 mm.
• This mesh is connected to the funicular network which forms the artificial bottom, by a rope 6 of polypropylene for example, whose untwisted strands 7 pass between the meshes of the mesh and are integral with it.
• the rope which connects the mesh to the funicular network ensures great mobility of the device and gives better resistance to algae subjected to storm forces.
• FIG. 8 we see a set of artificial substrates 8 planted with Macrocystis algae 9 connected by ropes 10.
• the attachment systems 11 of the algae are attached to the mesh substrates 8.
• the whole forms an elementary plant unit connected by a set of cords 12 and 13 to the funicular network composing the artificial bottom.
• An elementary unit of Macrocystis for example, can thus form a plant biomass of 1,000 kg, develop 2,000 m2 of plant tissue, have 1,000 fronds and an excess buoyancy of 200 kg.
• Another improvement consists in making all or part of the funicular network in son of elastic material whose elongation can reach up to 300 per 100 for example And to further increase and by another means the flexibility and mobility of the funicular network constituting the artificial bottom we can equip some of the anchor and mooring points with heavy and mobile chains.
• FIG. 9 we see for example the elementary plant units 14 fixed to the end of ropes or vertical wires 15 which can be made partially or totally from. materials with a very high elasticity rate.
• the 1.6 anchor is equipped with a heavy chain which absorbs the traction of the funicular network.
• Moorings 17, 18 and 19 are made of heavy chains which are lifted under the vertical traction of the funicular network.
• Moorings 20 and 21 are fixed dead bodies.
• FIG. 9 is only a partial example of a funicular network which can be constructed to make a flexible and elastic artificial bottom, allowing mobility in all directions of the fixing points of the algae implanted on this network.
• Another embodiment FR 85.05413 consists in ballasting the algae and the network which connects them. This improvement uses the excess buoyancy of certain algae for carrying weights which put all of the networks in vertical tension. This results in an advantageous positioning of the algae in the water, and ease of vertical movement of the assemblies. Storm resistance is increased.
• a Macrocystis Pyrifera plant unit similar to that described above composed of 500 fronds, a mass of 500 kg and a positive buoyancy in total immersion of 100 kg, can be advantageously ballasted at its base with a weight of 60 kg.
• buoyancy profile is similar to those found in nature.
• Knowledge of the morphology of the species and of the immersion environment makes it possible to calculate the buoyancy profile of the weighted alga by calculation.
• a peat forecast can be made using the following example:
• each meter of slingshot of a submerged Macrocystis alga has an average buoyancy of 7.7 g.
• each submerged meter of a unit of 500 fronds will have buoyancy in this medium. of, 7.7 multiplied by 500 or 3.850 kg.
• the 60 kg of ballast in the scenario will therefore be balanced in flotation by immersion of the algae over a water height of approximately, 60 divided by 3.850 or 15.5 meters.
• the buoyancy of such devices of living organic structures is stable.
• the flotation safety of these devices is due to the flotation reserves that are found in the upper parts of the emerging algae.
• the renewal of old fronds by young fronds occurs naturally. This renewal takes place without appreciable variation in the submerged plant mass which remains proportional to the population density. It follows that without changing the weight of the weights, the buoyancy balance of the device is not appreciably changing in a maintained weighted seagrass. It is indeed only in its emerged part and lying on the sea surface, that the vegetable mass varies appreciably according to the possibilities of growth of algae and the physico-chemical possibilities of the medium. And this variation has no influence on the depth of immersion of the algae in a plant reef built and weighted according to the process.
• ballasted process is used for the construction of cultivated seaweeds
• the cutting of seaweed for their harvesting can be done below the surface of the sea.
• this kind of cut removes part of their submerged buoyancy from the algae, thus compromising the buoyancy balance of the entire ballasted device.
• it will be possible to make cuts only from place to place so that the buoyancy reserves of the uncut algae compensate for the lost buoyancy of the trimmed algae.
• the imbalance of buoyancy caused by a subsurface cut will have no other consequence than lowering the level of the weights to the level of the natural bottom. The growth of algae after cutting will restore the device to its original buoyancy.
• FIG. 11 we see a series of algae 25 fixed on a die 26 and a mooring line 27.
• the weights 28 are distributed over the distance-to-distance channel. Between each ballast the die is deformed in an arc. Part of the length of the algae is submerged, part emerged. The assembly remains in buoyancy according to the characteristics of the process.
• the algae fixed on the inclined mooring line 27 are the first to absorb the energy of the waves. They can be of different species and fully submerged to better withstand storms.
• Figure 11 we see a device made of a single die and a single line. With several sets, channels and moorings, we can build horizontal or inclined networks, of different levels and in various shapes.
• the process makes it possible to build structures in the surface layer of the water having the function of breakwater, barriers against pollution, aquaculture reefs, floating islands, artificial harbors and all kinds of structures useful either for protection or for production in the sea.
• the process allows underwater constructions and settlements in a layer of water lower than the surface layer of the water.
• the process can be transposed to freshwater, with implantation organisms living in freshwater.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Genetics & Genomics (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Bioinformatics & Cheminformatics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Cell Biology (AREA)
• Botany (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Virology (AREA)
• Tropical Medicine & Parasitology (AREA)
• Artificial Fish Reefs (AREA)
• Cultivation Of Seaweed (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

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• 1985
  • 1985-10-10 EP EP85904982A patent/EP0197097A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1985-10-10 WO PCT/FR1985/000285 patent/WO1986002395A1/fr unknown
  • 1985-10-10 AU AU49650/85A patent/AU4965085A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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