A cross-disciplinary approach for marine waste valorisation

The GREENLIFE4SEAS project addresses two significant environmental issues that require urgent attention: the management of 200 million cubic metres of contaminated sediments dredged in the EU each year and the disposal of 490,000 tonnes of shells, one of the most significant forms of waste in the EU aquaculture sector. The research project proposes green, engineering-based solutions that transform both types of waste into valuable resources. The first versatile by-product of this ecodesign process is shell powder, which will be used as a secondary raw material alongside sediments and binders to create three innovative products in four European ports: paving blocks, breakwaters, and mass stabilisation materials. When sediments are contaminated, a preliminary decontamination process based on bioremediation technology is envisaged. A prototype of a supermobile plant equipped with additional modules will enable the products to be manufactured and replicated in situ. All activities began with multidisciplinary dialogue and multi-field research, involving bio-, geo-, hydro- and chemo aspects, as well as legislative and economic expertise. Once the results of the GREENLIFE4SEAS project have been validated, monitored and generalised using physics-based and computer-driven approaches, they will optimise the EU’s environmental policy for a circular blue economy. The worldwide exploitation and dissemination of this virtuous methodology and its innovative, top-level achievements will be facilitated by the extraordinary quadruple helix network of the GREENLIFE4SEAS partnership.