Transitioning to Non-Plastic Material Use Within the Coastal Zone Economy

Faculty Mentors: Robert Lowe, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Scott Schneider, Engineering Management, Systems, and Technology

Majors: MEE, MCT, CEE, and CME/MAT

Key Technologies: Natural materials, environmental conditioning of materials, mechanical testing, material property calculations

Summary:

Materials employed in critical coastal economic sectors are dominated by plastics, contributing to an ever-increasing marine debris problem. Three key coastal economic sectors (aquaculture, restoration, and water quality protection) vital to ecosystem services are of particular concern due to their location within ecologically sensitive and physically harsh environments. Natural materials (e.g., coir, jute, wattle, wood, hemp) have a long history of traditional use in these sectors, but have been displaced by non-biodegradable proprietary alternatives (i.e., plastics and polymer composites) that accumulate and persist in marine and estuarine environments. Currently, it is unknown how natural material alternatives will perform in the unique climate, tidal regime, photo-oxidative, and economic setting of coastal South Carolina. To address this research need, we will quantitatively examine -- through an extensive mechanical testing program -- the performance of candidate natural material alternatives subjected to short-term mesocosm and laboratory exposures representative of in-service marine environments.  Specifically, environmental exposures will condition specimens under various combinations of (a) temperature, (b) moisture, (c) ultraviolet (UV) light, (d) salinity (salt), and (e) surface abrasion (sand).  Mesocosm exposures will take place at the University of South Carolina Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, and laboratory exposures will take place within environmental and UV-testing chambers housed in the University of Dayton BAMS Lab.  The most promising down-selected natural alternatives will then undergo pilot-scale field testing in collaboration with coastal partners including aquaculture businesses, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, regional municipalities, and private landowners.