The project aims at developing an innovative class of marine composites with a significantly reduced environmental impact. These new eco-materials will be created and used for boatbuilding, especially in the production of hulls or other structural parts of little boats (<10mt). Many research groups have been working for years with the scope to replace traditional materials, fiberglass as first. However, the present work has an important uniqueness: the new material will emerge from an unconventional use of sea waste. Specifically, Posidonia’s scraps, stranded on the Adriatic beaches and intended for landfill, will be retrieved & exploited for their high cellulose content. Properly treated, they will be transformed into fabrics and used to replace, at least partially (> 15%), the glass reinforcement in fiberglass. At the same time, traditional thermosetting resins (such as epoxy), frequently based on petroleum derivates, will be replaced by ecological resins, based on the fermentation of vegetables (as castor oil) and characterized by a lower content of harmful volatile elements also. However, given the poor properties of natural resins, mussel scraps will be applied as hardeners, when suitably grinded, and treated to make their calcium carbonate content available. Nothing of similar has ever been proven in Italy or Montenegro although several other studies already validated such R&D line. Moreover, the action is not limited to the materials’ making & test, but also involves their use in the production of the first hull, as a demonstrator of technology and ecological potential. Comparative cradle-to-cradle analyses and end-of-life considerations will also support the investigation. In such a way, the project aims to offer its original contribution to approach one great problem of the yachting sector, where current vessels in fiberglass at the end of their useful lives are abandoned in yards, in ports or in the countryside when they are not deliberately sunk. 

 

Partner

University of Montenegro, Montenegro, Partner, University
Sea Comp
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Coordinatore
ITALY – MONTENEGRO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION CALL FOR JOINT RESEARCH PROPOSALS FOR THE YEARS 2022-2024
MAECI
€ 63.925
€ 29.925