Artificial reefs serve a useful purpose to promote the growth of sessile marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, corals, and bryozoans as well as providing a habitat and food source for species such as fish, crabs, lobsters, and some marine invertebrates. This invention applies the United States Environmental Protection Agencies' Twelve Principles of Green Technology to provide a cellulose based surface that is coated in nutrients to promote the rapid growth of marine microbes, the base of the marine food chain. This rapid growth, which begins days after being submerged, starts the food chain. The mineral based substrate attached to the cellulose based material is denser than water to allow the entire structure to sink; both the cellulose and mineral based materials will degrade rapidly leaving behind nucleation sites for microbes, corals, invertebrate collections, and more. The reef is constructed entirely from biodegradable materials and production costs are economical.
展开▼
