ECOncrete co-founders named finalists for The European Inventor Award 2022

The Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the European Patent Office (‘EPO’) in 2006, it honours individuals and teams behind solutions tackling some of the biggest challenges of our times. Sella and Perkol-Finkel’s invention, ‘Concrete technology to encourage marine biodiversity,’ was judged by a panel of former award winners based on its contribution towards technical progress, social and sustainable development and economic prosperity.

To date, ECOncrete has been installed in more than 40 locations across 10 countries, including shorelines and waterfronts in Spain, Monaco, the Netherlands, Italy, San Diego and New York.

The global underwater concrete market is valued at approximately €320 billion (2021) and is expected to grow more than 10.8% each year to 2030. The EPO’s recognition of ECOncrete’s invention not only reflects its revolutionary properties among a mission-critical net zero market; importantly, it also evidences growing global awareness about subsea innovations capable of protecting our oceanic ecosystems through nature inspired, biomimicry design.

“Think about barnacles, oysters and corals that create their skeleton from taking calcium ions from the water and using dissolved CO₂ to create calcium carbonate for their shells,” ECOncrete CEO Ido Sella said.

“When these sessile organisms settle on the concrete and encapsulate it with calcium carbonate they actually make it stronger. It was found that concrete covered by oysters can be 10 times stronger in terms of tensile strength than bare concrete.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/17052022/econcrete-co-founders-named-finalists-for-the-european-inventor-award-2022/