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Artificial islands, made from recycled plastic, use pollution-eating microbes to suck up toxins from lakes and oceans

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 8, 2008 at 7:44 am

From Business Green:

Floating Island International has opened a manufacturing plant in California to create floating islands that it hopes will clean up inland water and oceans.

The company uses recycled plastic to create the islands, which can be customized to different buoyancies and are designed to accumulate pollution-eating microbes. The microbes can chew through heavy metals and other toxins that accumulate in fresh water or the ocean, said owner Bruce Kania. He wants them to be used for cleaning up ‘dead zones’ where too many chemical nutrients have depleted oxygen levels in the water making it uninhabitable for wildlife. He would also like to pilot the island projects in areas such as the Canadian tar sands, where oil extraction has left so-called toxic tailings in lakes and killed wildlife.

Over time, the plastic platforms build up natural deposits on top of the biofilm left by the algae microbes, explained Kania. The deposits completely envelop the plastic and continue to grow underneath and on top of the island, he said, adding that this also helps the island to absorb carbon from the environment.

What a great use of recycled plastic! The company has already shipped 3000 units and is currently negotiating with Singapore for a 25,000 square-island. Read more from the Business Green website by clicking here. Visit the website for Floating Islands International by clicking here.

May 8, 2008 · Filed Under Great Green Ideas

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