We use recycled plastic to protect shorelines, improve water quality and create wildlife habitat through our Floating Island Technology. How are we doing this? It starts with the Matrix.
Matrix-The Foundation of our Products
Matrix is the Foundation of our products. It is made from 100% recycled PET plastic drinking bottles and the matrix fibers are thermal bonded with water based resins. It has a strong tensile and tear strength.
The matrix is an open cell structure making it ideal for biofilm attachment and sediment accumulation. It has approximately 124 square feet per cubic foot of surface area. It has also been tested by an independent lab and is non-toxic to fish.
Our Commitment to Environmental Safety
We are committed to providing the safest products. PET used in the matrix material is resistant to attack by micro-organisms. It is inert, won’t biologically degrade and will not leach, which is why it is widely preferred for packaging foods.
PET is also inherently more UV resistant than other plastics, like polypropylene, because of its molecular structure.
At Martin Ecosystems, we’ve gone a step further by coating our products with polyurea coating. The particular polyurea that we use is perfect for marine environments because it is inert, it will not hydrolyze, leach or contaminate. It provides UV protection, contains no VOCs and is direct food contact approved.
How Floating Island Technology Can Improve Our Environment:
- Protect shorelines of lakes, ponds, and wetlands.
- Create new marsh habitat where wetlands are eroding away.
- Remove unwanted pollutants such as Total Suspended Solids, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), fecal coliforms, nitrogen and phosphorus in stormwater and wastewater ponds.
- Create habitat for wildlife, water fowl, and fisheries.
- Create picturesque waterscapes.
Shoreline Protection
Research has shown that Floating Breakwaters are most effective at attenuating short period waves, such as wind chop.
Marsh Creation
With so much wetland erosion taking place today, wildlife and water fowl are losing their native habitats. By strategically installing Floating Breakwaters, we can create new marsh habitat.
Water Treatment
Floating Treatment Wetlands provide a foundation for plants to grow hydroponically. The open and porous matrix allows roots to spread and bacteria and microbes to attach. Microbes and bacteria attach to the plant roots and matrix fibers, creating a sticky biofilm. Total Suspended Solids are trapped in the biofilm or settle to the water bottom. Bacteria and microbes digest organic matter and pollutants such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Fecal Coliform, Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
Floating Treatment Wetlands are beneficial to rural and small towns still operating lagoon systems because they can be retrofit into existing lagoons, ultimately saving towns from having to spend millions in capital and construction costs.
They require very little maintenance. Vegetation should be trimmed 2-3 times a year.
Habitat Creation
Fish congregate beneath Islands for shade and cover. Birds lay their eggs on Islands away from predators on land near by.
Beautify Waterscapes
Our Floating Islands beautify waterscapes.
The Chicago Riverwalk Restoration is a great example of how to incorporate Floating Islands into a waterscape for beautification.
For every square foot of matrix that we use to manufacture our products we are recycling 3 (16 oz) bottles. This prevents thousands of plastic water bottles from trashing our environment and entering our landfills.
Last week I attended the Gulf of Mexico Alliance 8th Annual All Hands Meeting held in Tampa, Florida. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with a goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. The Alliance encourages collaboration among government agencies, businesses, education providers and non-governmental organizations. Priority issues addressed by the Alliance include water quality, habitat conservation, ecosystem assessment, nutrient impacts, community resilience and environmental education.
