SBIR Phase I: Eco-engineered System for Coastal Protection

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in providing clear and measurable environmental benefits by restoring shorelines, enhancing benthic infauna, seagrass habitats, and federally protected mangrove areas. By potentially reducing wave energy by up to 70%, mitigating erosion and flood risks, it would protect local communities and could become the preferred first line of defense against beach erosion and marine life habitat destruction in the nation. The company’s proprietary honeycomb reef arch structures would allow for beach restoration in previously inaccessible areas including military bases, shallow water zones, areas far from staging sites, and more. Historically, riprap (layer of large boulders installed on the shoreline) has been the go-to solution wave attenuation, but its installation cost alone is quite high. In contrast, the installation cost of the proposed technology is estimated to be 10X lower and thus this technology provides a compelling value proposition. Since the annual coastal property loss caused by beach erosion is around $500M in the U.S., there is significant commercial potential for the proposed technology. The project is in alignment with National Science Foundation’s key priority of natural disaster prevention or mitigation. The intellectual merit of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project lies in the iterative development of material of construction for the company’s bio-inspired, large-scale, modular, stackable honeycombs units, called Reef Arches, a nature-based solution deployed on coastline for wave attenuation, shore protection and marine life restoration. Inshore oysters’ reefs are proven to be effective methods of wave attenuation & oysters prefer calcium-rich substrate to grow. The final material composition of the proposed honeycomb arches must be such that the arches can function on many fronts: they must integrate seamlessly with the company’s manufacturing process to maintain the mold’s integrity over thousands of production cycles, support sensitive marine life- such as coral and oysters- without harming local aquatic ecosystems, withstand relentless marine forces exerted by waves, currents, and biofouling, and stay within local regulatory constraints. They should also be compatible with the company’s breakthrough method of installation, one that does not use any heavy machinery, without breakage during the process. Phase I R&D thus will involve materials development to meet a complex set of requirements – mechanical, chemical, biological, legal, and logistical to find a balance that enables large scale production and installation of honeycomb reef arches for coastline resilience. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.