Canadianpond.ca, Probul.fr and The Great Bubble Barrier present the benefits of the bubble curtain at Pollutec 2018
Three organizations from France, Canada and the Netherlands are joining forces to introduce Pollutec 2018 participants (at Stand 5F166) to one of the most innovative concepts in the recovery of plastics in streams and rivers, before they end up in the oceans: the bubble curtain that allows the deflection of plastics into the water and then facilitates their recovery, thanks to the proven BubbleTubing® technology and the extensive research performed by The Great Bubble Barrier.
An award-winning concept in the Netherlands!
The original idea of creating a bubble curtain to limit the spread of plastics in rivers and thus limit their journey to the oceans was initiated by a group of three young women from the Netherlands who founded the company The Great Bubble Barrier. Following laboratory tests, they conducted a full-scale test in November 2017 by placing a 180meter Bubble Barrier in the IJssel River near Kampen. Test objects were placed upstream of the Bubble Barrier which were then guided to the catchment system on the side of the river. The extensive pilot was conducted in cooperation with the Dutch National Water Authority and performed above expectations. The research and results were supervised and confirmed by an established research institute. The advantages of this system are numerous. On the one hand, a Bubble Barrier does not affect marine traffic or wildlife – ships and fish can easily pass through. On the other hand, the BubbleTubing® that creates the Bubble Barrier has numerous other benefits, such as oxygenation of the water, improving its quality.
The idea and proof of concept from The Great Bubble Barrier were awarded in September 2018 by Postcode Lottery Green Challenge 2018, one of the world’s largest competitions in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship. The Great Bubble Barrier won the first prize, which was awarded with 500,000 euros. Anne Marieke Eveleens, Chief Operating Officer of The Great Bubble Barrier adds, “This money will be used to attract new talent and develop a unique system to effectively capture debris from plastics deflected by the bubble barrier.” The Great Bubble Barrier plans to set up bubble curtains in several major cities in Europe.
The BubbleTubing® at the Heart of a Bubble Barrier
BubbleTubing®, distributed in France by Probul.fr., is a certified underwater diffuser hose, designed and manufactured in Canada with strict specifications prescribed by Canadianpond.ca Products Ltd, a leader in the field of water management and treatment. BubbleTubing® is a linear, flexible, durable, easy-to-install and maintain hose that consumes little energy and has one of the best oxygen transfer rates in the industry. The BubbleTubing® produces many small air bubbles, less than 1 mm at the outlet of the diffuser, which rises slowly from the bottom of the water to ensure a substantial and efficient transfer of oxygen. These bubbles create real screens in the water, bubble curtains, offering a multitude of uses and possibilities to protect the marine wildlife and the environment. Bubble curtains thus form a barrier to stop the spread of plastics in rivers.
Other Possible Applications
BubbleTubing® is also used to create bubble curtains that control the passage of invasive aquatic plants and grass or to contain oils, petroleum, sediments, etc. It is also useful for the de-icing of wharves, water intakes of power plants, shorelines, marinas, naval and port structures. The bubble curtain created by the BubbleTubing® allows the attenuation of underwater noise such as those caused by blasting, threshing, oil or gas exploration operations, etc. This sound barrier is made to protect marine wildlife especially mammals such as orcas, whales, dolphins, etc. The BubbleTubing® also promotes the aeration of water bodies, wastewater treatment plants, leachate ponds, irrigation ponds, etc.
