Development of bioadhesives for coral deployment and reef repair

Underwater bioadhesives are an important part of the RRAP Coral Aquaculture and Deployment R&D program that aims to deliver the means to reliably breed corals in captivity at low cost, at a medium scale using sexual and asexual methods. In addition, this program develops methods to subsequently deploy the breed corals at scale using deployment devices. The group lead by Prof Leonie Barner develops a range of bioadhesives and hybrid materials supporting coral deployment to the reef. Biomimetic glues (aka bioadhesives) are inspired by nature and are important materials that help to fixate coral spat taps to deployment devices and retain them on the reef. In addition, bioadhesives are being explored for stabilising rubble seabeds as well as for kelp restoration. Prof Barner’s group works closely with Prof Scott Bryan’s group (Rubble Stabilisation) forming the “QUT Bioadhesive Group”. The QUT Bioadhesive group was a finalist for the Universities Australia Shaping Australia Awards in the “Problem Solver” and QUT Excolo! competition.

Bioadhesives have been successfully tested in a small-scale reef trial at the Davies Reef in the Great Barrier Reef.

Over a 9-month period, bioadhesives securely attached coral spat taps to the deployment devices and showed no detrimental effects on the coral spats, i.e. spats grew at the anticipated rate. No tiles that were attached to the deployment device with bioadhesives were lost, i.e. the retention rate was 100%.