Cyprus to turn washed-up seagrass into eco-friendly building material

Cyprus will test insulation made from dead seagrass collected on Limassol beaches as part of a four-year European project to develop building materials from marine waste, researchers announced on Monday. The AKTI centre will run the Cypriot trials in the project, which aims to cut waste and reduce the environmental footprint of the construction industry. Material that currently ends up in landfill will be turned into building products instead, while soil from excavations will also be tested for use in natural coatings and drainage layers. The seagrass in question is Posidonia oceanica, endemic to the Mediterranean which supports marine life and stores carbon. Local authorities often clear it for touristic and aesthetic reasons, and AKTI will use leaves that have already been collected and would otherwise be thrown away. Organic residue left over from the process will be turned into compost. The project is funded by the EU and involves universities, research centres, technology firms, local authorities and civil society groups from 13 European countries. It is coordinated by the University of Thessaly and runs until 2030, while 13 regional hubs will trial the new materials, as well as how far businesses and local authorities could adopt them. In Cyprus, AKTI will work with the University of Rostock, German specialists in processing marine plants, and local bodies and professionals. AKTI will also coordinate similar trials in four other countries; Austria will use bread scraps to make furniture boards and 3D-printed building parts, while Hungary will turn farm straw into mattresses. Serbia will make insulation boards from food scraps and hemp fibres, and Ukraine will use demolition waste and farm residues to produce materials and fuel for reconstruction.