( NewsNation ) — A zap of electricity could be the cure for Earth’s ailing coastlines, new research from Northwestern University found.
The study, published in the journal Communications Earth and the Environment, observed how electrical currents affect the structure of marine sand.
The chemical reaction that occurs when electricity is introduced to sand saturated in seawater, the study says, almost instantly creates a natural cement.
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“As the porous structure of sands progressively fills with newly formed electrodeposits, the porosity is reduced while particle contacts increase and are cohesively bonded,” the study reads. “As a result, the hydraulic conductivity of marine soils decreases whereas their shearing strength increases.”
Increased strength could be pivotal in bolstering the world’s coastlines against erosion, with researchers saying this natural cement can influence “the structural stability of coastal and offshore structures.”