JP2012024033A - Porous artificial corallite and method of producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stimulate restoration of an ecosystem without waiting for the growth of coral reefs in an ocean area destroyed by artificial seawalls or the like by providing dens for small animals which bore corals and live in the corals.SOLUTION: The artificial corallite is obtained by forming a porous composition seen in Fig.1, similar to stony corals by combining an aggregate originated from corals or shells with soft-burned magnesia together with bubbles, and mold them. The artificial corallite is formed of the porous composition similar to the story corals, enabling benthic creatures (benthos) to burrow and live in the porous composition. Moreover, different from concrete of Portland cements, the soft-burned magnesia has no possibility of sea pollution, and no possibility of troubling living of the benthic creatures since the aggregate originated from natural corals or shells is used.

Description

The coral species such as green coral and sand coral are softer than ordinary stones and porous as shown in FIG. The present invention realizes a small animal habitat by perforating coral and inhabiting it by installing a porous block similar to sea corals with a small environmental load due to a magnesium-based solidifying agent in a neutral range.

Coral reefs are being destroyed while coastlines are being developed for land reclamation and revetment work. On a global scale, coral reefs have been severely damaged due to coral bleaching due to global warming and feeding damage caused by abnormal breeding of starfish. Coral reef destruction destroys the small animal ridges that support the bottom of the ecosystem pyramid, threatening the survival of small and medium-sized fish that feed on them.
There is a method of making shallow grooves in the wave-dissipating block and attaching corals, sea anemones, seaweeds, etc., but animals that live by drilling or that live using the holes that are drilled enter the inside of the hard block Because it cannot adhere to the surface, it has a high possibility of peeling off due to large waves or typhoons.

On the other hand, as a technique for restoring coral reefs, there are attempts to transplant coral eggs by placing them in a porous member such as ceramic, but it takes several to several decades for corals to grow and grow to coral reefs. Takes a long time to recover the ecosystem.
On the other hand, as described in Patent Document 1, a method for forming a coral reef by forming a coral bottom hole that can satisfactorily fix corals and a coral settlement base block are provided on the surface. An invention has been proposed in which a coral reef is created by installing concrete blocks having a large number of coral landing holes on the sea floor or in the sea. The bottoming hole has a recess that is recessed in a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the opening is formed, and this recess has a depth dimension of 0.5 at the upper edge of the opening. It is set to ˜3 cm.

JP 2005-264485 A

However, such Portland cement-based concrete has a strong alkali property, and so-called lye is produced, so it has a great impact on the environment. Moreover, even if the corals are effectively settled, it takes a long time to grow. Therefore, it takes several to several tens of years to grow to the coral reef, as with the ceramic porous member. The problem is inevitable.
The technical problem of the present invention is to focus on such problems, adopt a neutral magnesium-based solidifying agent, realize a porous artificial coral stone that has a low environmental impact, and is similar to coral. The aim is to promote the restoration of ecosystems without waiting for the growth of coral reefs in sea areas destroyed by artificial revetments, etc. by providing small animals that live by drilling.

Claim 1 is an artificial coral stone characterized in that a coral or shell-derived aggregate and light-burned magnesia are blended and molded together with fine bubbles to form a porous material similar to that of coral coral. .
In this way, the artificial coral stone of the present invention is formed by mixing and molding aggregates derived from coral and shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, so that the same porous structure as that of coral coral is formed. Living organisms (benthos) can infiltrate into the porous body.
Moreover, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, which may hinder benthic habitats. There is no. As a result, it is also effective in suppressing biodiversity loss.
As soon as the artificial coral stone is completed, it can be used by being submerged in the sea floor or in the sea, so that the problem of requiring a long period of time as in the case where the coral is fixed and grown is solved.
In addition, as aggregates derived from corals and shells, any one or more materials can be selected and used from pulverized Ryukyu limestone, calcium carbonate pellets, white sand, oyster shells and scallop shells. Considering the production area and other conditions, it is possible to produce by selecting the most suitable material, and the range of choice is expanded.
The term “fine bubbles” refers to bubbles generated as a result of entraining gas in the liquid by vortex and cutting and crushing the liquid with a fan or the like. For example, it can be produced simply by stirring without adding a meringue-like foam produced by stirring a foam material such as soapy water or a foam material such as soapy water.

Claim 2 uses an artificial coral stone formed by forming a porous material similar to that of coral coral by combining an aggregate derived from coral or shell and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles and molding the porous part. Is a preferred environment restoration method of benthic habitat substrate (indicating substratum in ecological terms) characterized by using as a living place for benthic organisms.
In this way, by combining and molding aggregate derived from coral or shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, using artificial coral stones that form a porous structure similar to that of coral coral, According to the method used as a habitat substrate for benthic organisms, it does not take a long time, as in the case of coral colonization, and as soon as the artificial coral stone is completed, it is submerged in the seabed or underwater, Can be used as a habitat substrate.
Also, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, so there is no hindrance to benthic habitat, rather Perforated animals and animals that use the perforated traces inhabit, biodiversity increases, the planar habitat expands three-dimensionally in the vertical direction, and the biomass increases dramatically.

The third aspect of the present invention is to install an artificial coral stone formed on the seabed or in the sea by forming a porous material similar to the sea coral by combining and molding aggregate derived from coral or shell and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles. This is an environmental improvement block for benthic organisms.
In this way, artificial coral stones that are porous like Ishi coral are installed on the sea floor or in the sea by blending and molding aggregates derived from coral or shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles. In the environmental improvement block for benthic organisms, a soft porous material like corals functions as a suitable habitat for benthic organisms.
Moreover, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, so there is no hindrance to benthic habitat, rather Perforated animals and animals that use the perforated traces inhabit, biodiversity increases, the planar habitat expands three-dimensionally in the vertical direction, and the biomass increases dramatically.
Furthermore, it does not take a long time as in the case of coral colonization, and as soon as the artificial coral stone is completed, it can be submerged in the seabed or underwater and used as a living place for benthic organisms. Without accelerating the recovery of the ecosystem and maintaining the environment suitable for biodiversity.

Claim 4 is a method for producing an artificial coral stone characterized by forming a porous material similar to a coral reef by blending and molding an aggregate derived from coral or shells and lightly burned magnesia together with fine bubbles. is there.
In this way, according to the method of blending and molding aggregates derived from coral or shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, it is possible to realize artificial coral stone by forming a porous structure similar to Ishi coral, and a wide variety It can be easily molded into a form, and is easy to manufacture and easy to use.

As in claim 1, the artificial coral stone of the present invention is formed by mixing and molding aggregate derived from coral and shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles to form a porous material similar to that of coral coral. Therefore, benthic organisms can infiltrate into the porous material.
Moreover, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, which may hinder benthic habitats. There is no. As a result, it is also effective in suppressing biodiversity loss.

As in claim 2, by using an artificial coral stone having a porous structure similar to that of a sea coral by blending and molding an aggregate derived from coral or shell and light burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, According to the method that uses the moss part as a habitat substrate for benthic organisms, it does not take a long period of time as in the case of coral colonization and grows. It can be used as a habitat for living organisms.
Also, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, so there is no hindrance to benthic habitat, rather Perforated animals and animals that use the perforated traces inhabit, biodiversity increases, the planar habitat expands three-dimensionally in the vertical direction, and the biomass increases dramatically.

As in claim 3, by combining and molding an aggregate derived from coral or shells and lightly burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, an artificial coral stone having a porous structure similar to that of coral coral is obtained from the seabed or in the sea. As for the environmental improvement block for benthic organisms installed in, soft porous like coral functions as a suitable habitat for benthic organisms.
Moreover, unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, so there is no hindrance to benthic habitat, rather Perforated animals and animals that use the perforated traces inhabit, biodiversity increases, the planar habitat expands three-dimensionally in the vertical direction, and the biomass increases dramatically.

According to the method of blending and molding aggregate derived from coral or shell and light burned magnesia with fine bubbles as in claim 4, artificial coral stone can be realized by forming a porous like Ishi coral, It can be easily molded into a wide variety of forms, and is easy to manufacture and easy to use.

It is the electron micrograph which expanded and showed the surface of the sea coral about 30 times. It is the electron micrograph which expanded and showed the porous state of the surface of the artificial coral stone manufactured by the method of this invention about 30 times.

Next, an embodiment of how the porous artificial coral stone according to the present invention and its manufacturing method are practically described will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a photomicrograph showing the porous state of the artificial coral stone produced by the method of the present invention. Thus, innumerable pores are formed and open to the surface, exhibiting a porous state. In addition, the depth of the pores varies, and the benthic organisms can be protected from external enemies by submerging deeply into the benthic organisms.
Therefore, it becomes a substitute for the myriad pores formed in the natural coral, and even when the coral is killed by the bleaching phenomenon, it can contribute to the maintenance of the natural environment and biodiversity. In other words, the porous nature of artificial coral stones promotes the inhabitants of bacteria, increases the biomass accompanied by buried animals (Infauna in ecology) mainly in the perforated animals, restores the ecosystem (food chain system) and It functions as an “imitation coral block” that creates an environment that is expected to have an environmental cleanup effect.
Unlike Portland cement-based concrete, light-burned magnesia (MgO) has no fear of marine pollution and uses aggregates derived from natural corals and shells, so it can hinder the habitat of benthic organisms. There is no fear of coming or disturbing biodiversity.
Seaweeds can be firmly established by rooting them in the pores, eliminating the problem of peeling off due to large waves and typhoons.

The product form of artificial coral stones with countless pores is free, and various forms can be obtained by blending aggregates derived from corals and shells and light-burned magnesia powder together with fine bubbles at a predetermined ratio and molding. Products can be manufactured easily.
At this time, it is also possible to utilize a production method in which the mold is immediately removed by casting or vibrationally pressed concrete. Shaded concrete molding uses a super-hard kneaded base material with a very small unit of water, and when it is liquefied by applying vibration while applying pressure, it can be compacted and compacted. It is possible to remove the mold immediately. As a result, the use efficiency of the formwork is high, more artificial coral stones can be supplied at low cost, and the mass productivity is high.

As aggregate derived from coral, Ryukyu limestone, southern stone powder, white sand, calcium carbonate pellets and the like are suitable. Ryukyu limestone is also called travertine, but in the examples, 5 mm crushed stone produced in the southern part of the main island of Okinawa was used. Two examples of 3: 1 and 4: 1 by weight ratio with light-burned magnesia were tried, and both had a Mohs hardness of 2.5 to 3.5, which was almost equivalent to coral. Thus, because it is as soft as a coral, a perforated benthic organism can also dig into the hole and dive.
Innumerable pores are formed as shown in FIG. 2, but the porosity is 25 to 50%, and a porous material can be realized.

Calcium carbonate pellets use by-products when softening water. Natural water in Okinawa is rich in calcium derived from coral and is hard enough to be used as drinking water. In recent years, water purification plants have facilities for removing this calcium. At this facility, calcium carbonate pellets are deposited as a by-product.
Since the calcium carbonate pellets are also derived from coral reefs, there is no concern about environmental pollution like Portland cement-based concrete. When this calcium carbonate pellet was blended with light-burned magnesia at a weight ratio of 15% and an artificial coral stone was molded, a porous state was realized.

Nanbu stone powder is a powder made by pulverizing Ryukyu limestone, that is, travertine, produced in the southern part of the main island of Okinawa. It has an apparent volume of "white sand 1: southern stone powder 2: light-burned magnesia 1" and contains artificial coral stone. When molded, a porous state was realized.
Oyster shells and scallop shells are suitable as aggregates derived from shells. When oyster shells were crushed to 5 mm or less and mixed with light-burned magnesia at a ratio of “pulverized shell 12 kg + light-burned magnesia 2.5 kg”, artificial coral stone was molded, and a porous state was realized.
When scallop shells were crushed to 5 mm or less and blended in a ratio of light-burned magnesia and "crushed shell 12 kg + light-burned magnesia 2.5 kg", artificial coral stone was molded, and a porous state was realized.
In addition, the blending ratio of the above various aggregates and light-burned magnesia can be selected according to the purpose and application.

In this way, since the light burned magnesia in the neutral region is molded as a solidifying agent, the risk of environmental pollution as with Portland cement-based concrete is small and the environmental load is small. Moreover, since materials derived from corals and shells are used as aggregates, it is possible to produce porous and soft artificial coral stones similar to corals, without waiting for the growth of coral reefs in sea areas destroyed by artificial revetments, etc. The restoration of coral reef ecosystems can be promoted, as well as the presence of perforated animals and animals that use the perforated marks, biodiversity is increased, and the planar habitat is expanded vertically and three-dimensionally to expand biomass dramatically. Increase.
Since the artificial coral stone of the present invention is soft and inferior in strength as described above, high-strength concrete can be embedded into a core, or the concrete core portion can be fixed to the sea floor with an anchor bolt or the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, by installing blocks made of artificial coral stones on the sea floor or in the sea, perforated animals and animals that use the perforated traces inhabit, biodiversity increases, and planar inhabitants grow. The sphere expands three-dimensionally in the vertical direction, and the biomass increases dramatically, and it has the effect of accelerating the recovery of the ecosystem without waiting for the growth of coral reefs. Lightly burned magnesia, a magnesium-based solidifying agent used in the production of artificial coral stones, is derived from seawater, so there is no harm to small animals and benthic organisms even if it dissolves in seawater.
In addition, by increasing the number of perforated organisms such as sea bream, small and medium-sized fish that feed on them, shrimp and crabs increase, the food chain system expands, and fishery resources increase. In addition, the increase in marine life increases the value of tourism resources such as diving to enjoy watching it.
Artificial coral stones, which are formed by blending aggregates derived from coral and shells and light-burned magnesia with fine bubbles, have a high degree of freedom in molding, so it is easy to produce products with shapes and dimensions according to the purpose. . By adding nutrients such as iron and calcium to these artificial coral stones, seaweed also grows easily and can be used as a basic block for algae beds.
By reducing the size of the artificial coral stone, you can plant corals, sea anemones, princess jaco, etc. to make ornamental blocks, and in the ornamental fish industry, natural by poaching or illegal collection that is sometimes caught by the Japan Coast Guard It also has the effect of preventing coral destruction.

Claims (4)

An artificial coral stone characterized by forming a porous material similar to that of coral coral by blending and molding aggregate derived from coral or shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles. The coral or shell-derived aggregate and light-burned magnesia are blended with fine bubbles and molded, using artificial coral stones that form a porous structure similar to that of coral reefs. Environmental improvement method for benthic organisms, characterized by being used as a residence. By combining and molding aggregates derived from coral or shells and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles, artificial coral stones that form a porous structure similar to that of coral corals are installed on the sea floor or in the sea. Characteristic environmental improvement block for benthic organisms. A method for producing artificial coral stone, characterized by forming a porous material similar to a sea coral by mixing and molding an aggregate derived from coral or shell and light-burned magnesia together with fine bubbles.

Images