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Oceanic Minerals and Metals:
Presently civilization resorts to ripping out mineral and
metal ores from the earth. Some proposals have it that deep-sea mining will
become a viable option, however this practice will be taking the same
destructive practices of mining and apply it to the ocean floor.
Oceanic City seeks to find renewable, sustainable and
ecological ways of securing for its inhabitants and for export to the rest of
the world those materials that are needed to sustain civilization and
technology.
Ocean water contains much more than just water (H2O) (See
Ocean Water Composition Table below) up until now the problem has been how to
effectively pump the large quantity of water and how to extract the minerals
and metals from the water cheaply.
Power and water are the problem. Thus Oceanic City will need
to counter, but not through an extra process, instead Oceanic Platforms will be
using OTEC methods to pump water from deep sea to the surface to generate power
and create a source of fresh water.
The use of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power
plant technologies is already providing us with the pumping of vast quantities
of ocean water. Further it is pulling the water from deeper and colder ocean
depths that holds more minerals and metals per volume than surface waters.
Not only is the seawater already being pumped, but also a
byproduct of that pumping is electrical energy. The two main constraints of
effective mineral extraction of mineral and metals from ocean water will be in
place enabling Oceanic City to pursue this method to produce metals and
minerals. One easy method already in use and requiring no more than DC current
running through a simple metal frame is the Mineral accretion method of
creating “bio-rock” (See: Growing Concrete).
Electricity will be abundant for Oceanic City not only
through the OTEC power plants but also to some extent through the use of wind
and solar power plants.
There have been recent breakthroughs in the arena of
extracting minerals and metals from seawater. Presently these are patent
pending and are kept in secrecy as to their exact method. It is expected that
at one point in the near future the patent will be available and from there
application will be possible.
Ocean Water Composition Table:
|
Hydrogen H2O |
At.weight |
ppm |
|
Element |
At.weight |
ppm |
|
Helium He |
4.0026 |
0.0000072 |
|
Tellurium Te |
127.6 |
. |
|
Copper Cu |
63.54 |
0.0009 |
|
Tantalum Ta |
180.948 |
<0.0000025 |
Note! ppm=
parts per million = mg/liter = 0.001g/kg.
Deep Sea mining/Dredging:
Although stripping the sea floor or digging deep pits is
against the ideology behind Oceanic Project, it is possible that there is no
other choice but to use these forms of exploitation in order to maintain the
raw materials needed by Oceanic City.
These methods should be left open, and should remain as a consideration
as a measure of last resort.
There are methods to mine and dredge the sea floor which has
the minimal impact upon the environment.
Growing Concrete: Bio Rock
Mariculture will be essential for Oceanic City to survive and prosper. Considering that a majority of species lives near or within coral reefs is would be prudent for Oceanic City to build within itself a coral reef system.
Although in nature this requires moderately shallow ocean
and lots of time, it is possible to accelerate and make a base for corals to
grow: Bio-rock reefs are a proposed plan to repair existing reefs which are in
peril of extinction at the time of this writing.
To build a
Bio-rock reef, an electrically conductive frame, often made from construction
grade rebar or wire mesh, is welded together, submerged and anchored to the sea
bottom. Sizes and configurations vary to fit the setting. Then a low voltage
direct current is applied using an anode (power sources can include chargers,
windmills, solar panels or tidal current generators). This initiates an
electrolytic reaction causing mineral crystals naturally found in seawater,
mainly calcium carbonate (limestone) and magnesium hydroxide, to grow on the
structure.
Within days, the structure takes on a whitish hue as it
becomes encrusted with precipitated minerals adding rigidity and strength.
Electrical fields, plus the shade and protection offered by the metal/limestone
frame, attract a wide range of colonizing marine life including fish, crabs,
clams, octopus, lobster, and sea urchins.
Once the reef structure is in place and minerals begin to
coat the surface, the next phase of reef construction begins. Divers transplant
coral fragments from other reefs and attach them to the ark’s frame.
Immediately, these coral pieces begin to bond to the accreted mineral substrate
and start to grow—typically three to five times faster than normal. Soon the
reef takes on the appearance and utility of a natural reef ecosystem rather
than a man-made one.
Mineral accretion growth rates are typically from one to
several centimeters of new rock per year, depending on the surface area of the
structure. The rate at which the coral grows depends on the amount of current,
the size of the structure and the species of coral. Typically, growth rates are
about 3 to 5 times faster than normal.
It is possible that this method could be used to expand the
landmass of Oceanic City in future using metals extracted from sea water to
built frames and meshes, charged with electricity to grow a coating of minerals
that could possible be water tight. Perhaps three layers of mesh and structural
members, the inner most being charged until coated and gaps filled between its
mesh reaching to the second layer, then the second layer is charged until it is
filled to the third. Repeating for the
third layer virtually growing a hull around structural members. Further,
leaving a current in place at all times would result in a sort of “self
healing” hull one that would repair itself of minor cracks and breakage.
The outer hull would be shelved below sea level, extending
outward proving an environment where corals and their attending life forms
would feel welcome providing a break water around the hull reducing wave
damage.
*****Currently, Hilbertz is planning a five-year experiment
to accrete an island, the Autopia Ampere, which will house, feed, and employ
50,000 inhabitants. Autopia Ampere involves deploying house-size wire frames
connected to large floating solar panels on the Skerki Bank, in the
Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Tunisia, where the island will be
built/grown.
***United
States Patent 4440605
Link to this page:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4440605.html
Abstract:
By establishing a direct electrical current between
electrodes in an electrolyte, such as seawater or fresh water containing
minerals in solution, calcium carbonates, magnesium hydroxides, and hydrogen
are precipitated at the cathode, while at the anode, oxygen and chlorine are
produced. The electrochemical precipitation of minerals at and in the vicinity
of metal reinforcement in a reinforced concrete structure is utilized to repair
damaged portions thereof, for example, fractures, cracks, fissures, and voids.
To repair reinforced concrete structures, the structure is disposed in a volume
of electrolyte. The metal reinforcement is made a cathode by connection to the
negative terminal of a suitable DC power supply. One or more anodes are
disposed in proximity to the structure, and a direct electrical current is
established between the electrodes for a period of time sufficient to fill by
accretion cracks, fissures or voids in the concrete body of the structure.
Sources of Energy:
Ideally each platform will produce power for its needs.
Practically centralized power generation for each neighborhood will be more
efficient. The main power will come through an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
(OTEC) power plant. The location and nature of Oceanic City is ideal for this
form of power generation. Aside from the benefits of clean steady electrical
power there is also the potential for refrigeration and for the production of
fresh water.
Solar and wind power will also be used along with the
possibility of wave generating designs using ocean waves to generate electrical
power.
Electricity will be the main source of energy, not only
lighting the communities, but also powering industry, powering the mineral and
metal extraction processes. For communities built out of neighborhoods,
electric tram, electric vehicles and the use of slide walks (found in most
major airports today and in casinos in Las Vegas) will move people around on the
platforms.
Seawater can also be used in the form of batteries as power
plants. Although the technology is not advanced enough to power electric motors
in ships it promises to provide electricity for small sailing vessels that will
ply the waters between communities and around those communities.
Although wind power has been used efficiently for many
generations, it is expected that there will be a nominal need for a fuel for
motorboats and vessels, if not also for aircraft, submarines and other craft.
Further there may be a need for internal combustion engines in equipment and
tools in every day life.
Oceanic City will not have petroleum resources at its
disposal. It will not pump oil, import oil in and of itself. It will, for its
initial phases or until a viable mass production of bio-plastics is built,
import petrol based plastics. Fuel will need to be made from the resources
available to Oceanic City. The most viable and well-known technology at this
time is in the form of alcohol fuels, most well known is corn grain alcohol,
however other plant materials can be used to produce fuel grade alcohols.
Although there is abundance of water that is composed
chiefly of Hydrogen and Oxygen, the technology for effectively using and
creating hydrogen from water for mass scale fuel use is still years, if not
decades down the road. As promising a fuel source it may seem, it is considered
a late phase potential energy source.
A Model of Self Sufficiency:
The Chief Goal of Oceanic City is total self-sufficiency.
Everything it needs will be produced within itself. It will base its economy
upon the abundance of the seas, producing goods, foods and products in part or
in whole through mariculture and extraction of materials from the ocean itself.
Dependence upon imports and the global economy is reduced to the bare minimum.
Export of goods will be desired, along with tourist trade to increase revenues.
The physical model of Oceanic City will be more along the
lines of a chain of small islands linked together with boat and ship
transportation. Each individual island would work toward sustaining its own
populace while at the same time producing the materials and products to build
more islands along with producing more products and goods that can be exported
to the land based nations.
Mariculture in the form of Fish farming promises to be a
substantial trade commodity, followed by the products and goods that kelp,
algae and other mariculture products promises. Second to that would be mineral
and metal and bio-rock products will offer.
The third industry not exported per se, but promising to generate income
for Oceanic City is the tourist trade, where tropical island experiences along
with unique experiences are offered to potential visitors.
Self-sufficiency is key to the survival of the City.
Although shipping of goods and products from the mainland is possible, it is
also expensive and would be counter to the purposes of an ocean based
civilization.
It is expected that by mid century the oceans will rise by
around 12”, flooding a good deal of low lying cities and causing the migration
of displaced peoples on land. By the end of this century it is expected that
sea levels will have risen by several feet, flooding out most of the coastal
cities, displacing billions of people drowning land islands. The land based
peoples of earth will have limited resources, and if the more dire consequences
of climate change expected such as drought, flooding of farm land, it is
expected that famine and disease will be familiar to the majority of earth’s
6.5 people.
Oceanic City seeks to be a safe haven, floating on the
rising waters and using the ocean and technology to sustain itself through
climate change, providing for itself all that it needs not only in resources
such as building materials and foods, but also in the human resources found in
each individual.
In the earliest phases of Oceanic City’s development
immigration will constitute its main population growth, in later phases after a
population is established immigration will be replaced with growth and
replacement of the population through the birth rate. However if Oceanic City
is meet with great success and does fully develop technologies to make the
building of platforms and the infrastructure fully possible through the resources
of the sea, it is possible that colonies of floating communities will spread
outward, absorbing a steady immigration and a growing birth rate.
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