The biology and chemistry students at Valdosta State University in Georgia have partnered with chemistry professor Dr. Tom Manning to create an artificial reef made of cellulose — a substance comprised of plant-cell walls and vegetable fibers. Regulations do not allow cellulose-based material to be put on the ocean floor, so these artificial reefs now hang from docks in the Florida Keys.

“We're basically treating timber, from sawdust to bamboo, so that it is loaded with nutrients and life thrives on it,” Manning says. “We also have a method to weigh it down without attaching anything.”

For miles along Florida’s Gulf Coast, there are downed trees, roots, branches and other debris that provide a healthy habitat for animals. Schools of fish seek shel- ter, sessile invertebrates grow, and crabs hide within these habitats.

“With the loss of pristine shoreline, this natural type of habitat is decreasing,” Manning says. “Our approach is more organized than nature, but we hope the result is the same.”

Read more about the VSU Green Tech Project here.