BioHaven® Technology

Supporting a healthy environment

  • Artists rendering of floating island science, as a natural solution to algae, biofilm attaches to roots, attracts microbes which in turn consume nitrogen, phosphorus, and other excess nutrients that create green pond water

Inspired by Nature for Nature…

Searching for an effective and natural way to improve water quality in both man-made and natural bodies of water, inventor Bruce Kania turned to the experiences of a childhood spent exploring and fishing in the waters of the upper Midwest. Inspired by the diversity and sheer wildness of the natural, floating islands that can occur there, he’s developed a system that not only enhances water quality but also provides a haven for wildlife.

Here's the simple science behind our BioHaven® islands

  • BioHavens® = Concentrated Wetland Effect

    • Like the natural wetlands, which offer both surface area and circulation, BioHavens®
      offer “augmented surface area.”
    • The unique design is within the “matrix,” our proprietary blend of fibers which are used to create the BioHaven®.
    • The matrix is important and serves many different functions including water cleansing, as well as extensive root growth on planted islands.

  • MORE SURFACE AREA = MORE MICROBES

    • Microbes start the feeding frenzy and create a residue known as BioFilm.
    • BioFilm is what some of us would look at as the nasty slimy stuff under the islands – it’s usually caught in the roots of the plants.
    • The BioHaven®  matrix serves as somewhat of a housing unit for all of these microbes…they live in the matrix and feed off of many of the nutrients in the water.

  • MORE MICROBES = LESS ALGAE

    • Duckweed and algae are a few common problems with waterways, lakes, and ponds, they also feed off of excess nutrients (the same source that microbes eat).  The more that duckweed & algae consume, the more of it you will have in your pond.
    • By creating more microbes, you will eventually starve the algae of its main food source.
    • Microbes in the form of biofilm are the biggest factors in removing nutrients from the water.

Microbial activity is what makes an aquatic system work.

Here's how it works

“BioHaven® is a commercially available floating wetland”, explains Leela O’Dea, an ecologist and founding partner at the aquatic environmental consulting firm, Frog Environmental. “It is about six inches deep and made up of a recycled plastic matrix, which allows plants to grow on it…The advantage of this system is that the roots offer a really high surface area for microbial and sedimentation processes to take place,” says O’Dea. “There are a lot of microscopic particles or colloids suspended in the water and the dangling roots, which are covered with a sticky biofilm of microbes, help the sedimentation of these colloids.” Once the roots become heavy they drop off and carry the colloid contaminants away into the sediment at the bottom of the water. “The sedimentation process is especially important for the removal of phosphorus,” says O’Dea, “because phosphorous often adsorbs to soil particles and so gets trapped in colloids.”

About Natural Floating Islands

Natural floating islands, also called sudds, tussocks, floatons, or embalsados, are typically composed of floating vegetation, or peat, or both, along with mud, and may attain substantial thickness and longevity, sustain abundant riparian vegetation, and provide habitat for high densities of fish.

 

About BioHaven® Floating Islands

A BioHaven Floating Island ® is a man-made floating wetland.  Inspired by the natural occurring floating peat bogs in Northern Wisconsin, BioHavens ® were originally designed to mimic mother nature’s own creation…floating wetlands.  Using Nature to cleanse nature is a form of Biomimetics.

Biohaven® floating island technology, has been successfully applied in several conservation contexts throughout the world.  These conservation efforts, include enhancing fish habitat through manmade floating wetlands, aiding in restoration efforts of endangered species, and more.

 

A Natural Fit

Natural floating islands, also called sudds, tussocks, floatons, or embalsados, are typically composed of floating vegetation, or peat, or both, along with mud, and may attain substantial thickness and longevity, sustain abundant riparian vegetation, and provide habitat for high densities of fish.

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