ECOncrete will be the "ecological concrete" to be used in the remodelling of the outer dock of the Port of Cala Rajada (Mallorca), works which have already begun and which aim to reinforce this element to withstand the rise in sea level that climate change may bring. This is the first time in Spain that the tender specifications for a marine infrastructure project require compensatory measures such as the use of the aforementioned "ecological concrete", together with other more traditional measures such as the planting of posidonia.
The company Melchor Mascaró (with the technical collaboration of the RUBAU Group), which won the tender for the execution of these works, recently signed an agreement with the Israeli start-up ECOncrete, which has developed a solution to ensure that the concrete used in all kinds of marine infrastructures is, unlike traditional concrete, compatible with life, both flora and fauna.
Melchor Mascaró's Group Manager, José Ramis de Ayreflor, has highlighted the importance of being able to produce "bio-powered ecological concrete" without altering standard construction processes, adding that "we hope to be able to use ECONCRETE technology in other marine infrastructure projects".
ECOncrete's Sales Director for Southern Europe, Paolo Tedone, stressed the importance of the fact that, for the first time, an administration is demanding the use of this type of concrete in a tender, adding that "what the Balearic Government, presided over by Francina Armengol, has done is a first step towards something that will end up being common in all marine works. We cannot continue to use concrete in seas and oceans that is incompatible with biodiversity when there is a solution that has already proved its effectiveness.
Indeed, the solution developed by this Israeli company, founded by two marine biologists, has already been implemented in more than ten countries, mainly in the United States, with very satisfactory results, demonstrating that there is a feasible way forward for a more solid infrastructure that, in turn, benefits the environment; something very relevant, taking into account the tens of thousands of kilometres of marine environment that are impacted by these infrastructures. In Spain, it is being used in ongoing projects in the ports of Vigo and Malaga.
In the tender approved in the Balearic Islands for the Cala Rajada harbour works, the need to "significantly reduce the intensity of the negative impacts on the marine environment and, therefore, on fishing resources" is pointed out. For this reason, section 6.2.3 requires as a compensatory measure "the use of "ecological concrete" in the manufacture of the blocks that will form the slope, which will increase the capacity to become a reef and its effectiveness".
The other new requirement in this tender, in addition to the use of "ecological concrete", is the planting of new Posidonia Oceanica in an area equivalent to 1.5 times the area affected by the direct occupation, which in the case of the port of Cala Rajada is an area of 1.5 x 2,693 = 4,000 m2.
