O-oyster

1. Traditional oyster aquaculture equipment is abandoned & can’t be recycled, causing plastic debris and environmental damage due to wind and wave destruction.

The floating raft aquaculture method is used in areas with deep seawater, wide water bodies, and greater wind & waves. Using lightweight and buoyant, but excessive materials like plastic, Styrofoam, and bamboo. Those are difficult to recycle and damage the ocean and surrounding environment. In Taiwan, there are approximately 200,000 pieces of Styrofoam and plastic materials used for oyster sheds. Still, these materials are easily blown away and damaged by wind and rain, with about 60,000 pieces of Styrofoam being discarded into the sea.

2. Large amounts of discarded oyster shells cause odor and environmental pollution.

Oyster shells unsuitable for cultivation and discarded after consumption contribute to mosquito breeding and foul odors due to heat, becoming environmental pollution. Taiwan generates over 160,000 metric tons of oyster shells annually.

O-oyster is a versatile platform that serves both as an oyster aquaculture system and a wave power generator, embodying a cradle-to-cradle approach.

The main structure of O-oyster is crafted from oyster shells and seaweed gel. When damaged, it can be deliberately sunk to the seabed, functioning as an artificial reef to foster diverse marine life. Over time, it gradually decomposes, addressing the environmental concerns associated with traditional aquaculture materials like plastic, styrofoam, and ropes.

O-oyster can be assembled into offshore oyster farming fields, allowing oyster farmers to conduct cultivation activities either from boats or by walking on the O-oyster platform. Additionally, it can be equipped with duck-bill-shaped wave power generation devices, effectively mitigating damage to the aquaculture zone caused by large waves. This expansion of oyster fields helps meet the demand for stable sea current oyster farming in deeper waters.

O-oyster alleviates concerns for oyster farmers regarding pollution caused by debris in aquaculture equipment. They can confidently cultivate oysters and regularly replace O-oysters, dismantling them for deposition on the seabed. This process achieves carbon sequestration while stabilizing the seabed sand and providing a habitat for marine life. By harnessing wave power, O-oyster mitigates the impact of offshore winds on oyster fields, stores energy, and transports it to coastal areas, thus achieving the utilization of natural energy cycles.

O-oyster reduces the garbage pollution caused by the oyster aquaculture industry in the marine environment, lowering the costs and time spent by oyster farmers in dealing with traditional waste materials. It enhances the quality of aquaculture while preserving the ocean for a sustainable cycle.

Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

12.2: The Cradle-to-Cradle design of O-oyster enables environmentally friendly recycling of essential resources required by the oyster industry, utilizing natural resources efficiently.

14.1: O-oyster effectively reduces pollution of the oceans and land by waste from traditional oyster aquaculture, providing a base for ecological reefs and enriching marine ecosystems.

Our team has conducted interviews with oyster farmers to understand the challenges and growth needs associated with oyster aquaculture, and we continue to conduct material experiments. In the future, we plan to scale the materials for placement in both simulated and actual field tests to observe their conditions during use and after submersion, to further refine the design. For the power generation device, we are seeking assistance from professional manufacturers to experiment and make adjustments.

Our material experiments are currently testing various proportions of oyster shells mixed with alginate to evaluate their moldability, form stability, buoyancy, and load-bearing capacity. We hope to engage with more material experts to enhance the comprehensiveness of our records and testing environments. Additionally, we have completed a conceptual model presented to environmental experts and professors for direct observation of our ideas. Through discussions with these experts, we aim to further refine our design.

By applying for Solve funding, we hope to secure additional resources to engage experts and manufacturers specializing in wave energy generation to assist with experiments, technology, and practical deployment. The expertise and support of these professionals are crucial to generating concrete data and exploring the developmental possibilities of our project. 

In the market, our initial focus is to develop and refine our technology in Taiwan, our home country. Subsequently, we aim to expand and promote our improved design to other countries with oyster aquaculture industries. This expansion will not only increase the impact of our design but also help mitigate marine environmental pollution and enhance the economic value of the oyster recycling economy.