Flexterra® & Soil Guard: Flexible growth Medium (FgM bonded Fiber Matrix (bFM)

SaiCoir Erosion Net, BioNet, Nedia Erosion Control Blankets

Launch Stratify Fluid Grooming BiodegradaBle erosion Control geotextiles //

Digestive Translate Volatile

Biodegradable erosion control geotextiles are made of natural fibers and designed as transitional soil stabilization systems. The geotextiles protect exposed slopes from erosion and slowly biodegrade. The textiles are typically made of straw, coir (coconut husk) or jute (Corchorus tiliaceae) fibers, and manufactured in large rolls of woven, knit, and non-woven textiles, with some varieties containing embedded seed mixes. The textiles are anchored or staked to the surface of slopes, stream banks, and shorelines. Often stitched with biodegradable jute or coir nettings, photodegradable or ultraviolet stabilized polypropylene nettings, each textile product varies in longevity (from three months to eight years), flow velocity capacity (8 –16ft/sec, 2.4 – 4.9m/sec), and slope ratio applicability (from 4:1 to 1:1).

Standard geotextile rolls measure 4ft –13ft (1.2 – 3.9m) wide and up to 225ft (68.5m) long. Coir fibers are also made into the cylindrical form of logs to provide a stable growing medium along shorelines, stream banks and wetlands. The logs are stacked into the ground and planted with wetland plant varieties. The logs resist and buffer erosion from flowing water while trapping silt and sediment, creating a protected, aerated and hydrated growing zone for plants. Comparatively, erosion control blankets have a higher longevity, tensile and shear strength than hydraulically applied products (i.e. bonded fiber matrix). They may be more appropriate for steep slope gradients, or in extreme weather conditions with high flow velocities. However, the textiles do not provide full soil coverage and are more labor-intensive to install.

The textiles are fungi- and ultraviolet-resistant. While porous, they have high waterholding capacity and can absorb up to five times their weight in water, releasing moisture slowly back into the ground, and thus enhancing seed germination and early plant growth. The textiles have an ideal pH for plant growth and high cation exchange capacity. In addition, they inhibit root pathogens such as Pithium and Phtothora, while promoting strong root systems. Common applications include retention ponds and wetland construction, riparian area protection, drainage ditches and intermittent flow channels, dams, lake and waterway shore preservation, hydro-seeding and high-altitude plantings, mining reclamation, landfill rehabilitation, highway and rail embankments, eroded seashore and dune stabilization areas, and ski slopes.

Manufacturers: Sai International Trading Corporation; North America Green; Nedia Enterprises, Inc.

Products and Technologies // 153