Shooting electrical charges through ocean sand can transform mineral particles into a “natural cement” that can protect against coastline erosion better than built structures like sea walls, according to new research from Northwestern University.
In laboratory experiments, scientists found that “electrodeposition” as small as two to four volts “instantaneously changed the structure of marine sand, transforming it into a rock-like, immoveable solid,” according to a news release.
When scaled to natural beaches, experts say the process could provide a “lasting, inexpensive and sustainable solution for strengthening global coastlines” against sea-level rise and severe storms.
The approach also mirrors nature, the researchers said, as clams, mussels and other shell-dwelling organisms also use dissolved minerals in seawater to build their shells using metabolic energy.
