The fascinating complexity of seagrass bio-fibres: insights from bio-chemo-hydro mechanical analysis for their reuse as soil reinforcement

The fascinating complexity of seagrass bio-fibres: insights from bio-chemo-hydro mechanical analysis for their reuse as soil reinforcement | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The fascinating complexity of seagrass bio-fibres: insights from bio-chemo-hydro mechanical analysis for their reuse as soil reinforcement Jafar Karimiazar, Enrique Romero, Rossella Petti, Joel Torres-Serra, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9049915/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Beached seagrass bio-fibres are an abundant yet underutilised Mediterranean biowaste with potential for sustainable soil reinforcement. We present the first multiscale bio–chemo–hydro–mechanical characterisation, combining synchrotron nanotomography, FE-SEM, elemental analysis, tensile testing, and water retention measurements. An image-based method applied to Posidonia oceanica links Aegagropile diameter to fibre length, enabling targeted selection to minimise clustering. Air-dried fibres exhibit higher tensile strength, whereas pre-soaked fibres show greater porosity, tortuosity, toughness (~ 2.5×), and water retention (~ 18% more in bundles), due to enhanced capillary storage. Water retention curves reveal two storage domains: intra-fibre adsorption and inter-fibre capillarity. This dual functionality, mechanical enhancement, and improved moisture storage, which mitigates drying effects when interacting with the atmosphere, position Posidonia oceanica fibres as a circular, high-performance alternative to synthetic reinforcements, transforming coastal waste into a valuable geotechnical resource. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryJK1.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 27 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 14 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 07 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 06 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 06 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9049915","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":623076448,"identity":"bf27e272-a24a-4260-bfcf-e60bdd5ad15d","order_by":0,"name":"Jafar Karimiazar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Polytechnic University of Bari","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jafar","middleName":"","lastName":"Karimiazar","suffix":""},{"id":623076450,"identity":"21d6f598-2213-4e15-9297-04b4b17452ac","order_by":1,"name":"Enrique Romero","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universitat Politècnica de 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We present the first multiscale bio\u0026ndash;chemo\u0026ndash;hydro\u0026ndash;mechanical characterisation, combining synchrotron nanotomography, FE-SEM, elemental analysis, tensile testing, and water retention measurements. An image-based method applied to \u003cem\u003ePosidonia oceanica\u003c/em\u003e links Aegagropile diameter to fibre length, enabling targeted selection to minimise clustering. Air-dried fibres exhibit higher tensile strength, whereas pre-soaked fibres show greater porosity, tortuosity, toughness (~\u0026thinsp;2.5\u0026times;), and water retention (~\u0026thinsp;18% more in bundles), due to enhanced capillary storage. Water retention curves reveal two storage domains: intra-fibre adsorption and inter-fibre capillarity. 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