Biological and physicochemical evaluation of mortar as substrate for manufacturing artificial reef

Abstract

Due to several deterioration of coral reefs around the world, h as increased the need to rehabilitate marine environments. Arti ficial reefs have been proposed as a tool for conservation of these ecosystems. A s part of an initiative to develop modules forming artificial r eefs made of ecological concrete for the conservation of the biodiversity in the Colombian Caribbean; this work constitutes a starting poin t. During eleven months two trapezoidal plates were submerged near to Isla Palma , Colombian Caribbean; plates were fabricated in concrete with portland cement and the aggregates were replaced by ceramic waste. After biolog ical and physicochemical evaluations of the material exposed to marine environment was concluded that this is a favorable substrate fo r the coral reefs, and the plates were colonized by more than 3 0% of its surface by marine organisms, their structure found internally stable, a nd there were no adverse effect s on marine biota near the test site.