Grupo de Procesado por Láser del Instituto de Óptica “Daza de Valdés”

Presentation seminar of the new BioProMarl research project on the protection of the marble surface based on the knowledge acquired in the previous scientific project, LINaBioFluid.

The CSIC and the Levantina company collaborate in this project.

Marble is a raw material widely used in the kitchen / bathroom market, as well as in the construction sector. However, its durability is impaired by atmospheric and local acid conditions and its aesthetic appearance endangered by human contamination and pollution. Although surface sealing is often used for protection, sealants are often toxic and not effective enough. The long-term preservation or replacement of marble generates huge costs.
 
BioProMarLL aims to transfer the protective properties of the surface of certain plants to the marble surface, using biomimetic laser structuring strategies that have been developed during the recently completed LiNaBioFluid FET-Open project. The general objective of BioProMarL is the development of innovative concepts inspired by nature to provide better protection of the marble surface in indoor and outdoor applications in terms of resistance to human contamination (e.g. oil stains, lemon, vinegar, …) Additional features that are intended to be transferred to marble include liquid repellency, anti-adhesion and anti-abrasion, which further strengthens complementarity with past LiNaBioFluid project.
 

The project consortium already includes a marble products company as an end user and aims to identify other end users for the different functionalities that will be achieved in biomimetically structured marble. The new concept of biomimetic protection and functionalization of BioProMarL has a high potential for innovation and is very promising for the technological impact, while the success of LiNaBioFluid strongly supports its viability. In particular, it is anticipated that the life of natural stone products can be increased and chemically aggressive sealants can be replaced through intelligent functional surface morphologies, which greatly contributes to environmental sustainability. In addition, biomimetic marble with additional functionalities could lead to an increase in the market share of natural stone products and boost European market leadership.

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