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The world’s beaches face a dire future—50 percent of them could disappear by 2100 due to climate change-induced erosion.
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A new study from scientists at Northwestern proposes that mild voltages applied to these ecosystems could spur the creation of “binding” materials that may be able to make beaches more resilient to erosion.
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The idea was inspired by the shell-making biology of clams and mollusks, and the approach would be less invasive and less costly that currently proposed beach-protection methods.
“By applying a mild electric stimulation to marine soils, we systematically and mechanistically proved that it is possible to cement them by turning naturally dissolved minerals in seawater into solid mineral binders—a natural cement.”
The idea actually comes from shell-dwelling animals like mollusks that convert ions and dissolved minerals in the water into calcium carbonate, which is then used to build their shells.
Of course, the energy in an animal’s metabolism kickstarts this process, so to create a similar reaction across the entire ecosystem, you would need to apply a mild current of just 2 to 3 volts and some materials will convert into calcium carbonate.
Crank things up to 4 volts and magnesium hydroxide and hydromagnesite are the ultimate outcome—both are common materials found in stones.
These substances form a kind of glue that binds sand particles together, making the coast more resilient to weathering effects.