Cartagena, Spain | October 10, 2025
Turning Quarry Waste into Marine Life: ARTREEF’s Bio-Inspired Innovation
When we hear “biotechnology,” we often picture labs and microscopes. But in the Mediterranean, a pioneering project called ARTREEF is proving that biotechnology can also mean building life beneath the waves.
Led by Spain’s Centro Tecnológico Naval y del Mar (CTN) together with CTMARMOL, and co-funded by INFO Región de Murcia, the initiative takes an unusual approach: transforming marble quarry waste into artificial reefs. Instead of piling up as industrial by-products, leftover stone is reused to create structures that support marine ecosystems.
The reefs are no ordinary blocks. Using 3D printing and advanced design, they are modelled to mimic the shapes and textures of natural habitats. Their porous surfaces allow algae, invertebrates, and fish to settle and thrive, boosting biodiversity in areas where ecosystems have been degraded by human activity.
To measure success, ARTREEF employs digital twins and ecological monitoring methods, comparing sites with and without reefs. This cutting-edge approach provides detailed insights into how marine life responds, helping scientists refine designs for maximum ecological benefit.
The Mediterranean is one of the world’s richest yet most threatened seas, facing pressures from climate change, overfishing, and coastal development. ARTREEF shows how waste can be reimagined as a resource, turning quarry residues into “living” structures that restore marine life.
If successful, the model could be applied in coastal regions worldwide—an inspiring example of how technology, ecology, and industry can work together to let nature rebuild itself.
#BlueBiotech #MarineBiodiversity #ArtificialReefs #CircularEconomy #SustainableOceans
Learn more here: CTN ARTREEF Press realease
Photographs by NIB.
