The preliminary testing validated the capture and concentration
potential of a floating barrier with a skirt
depth of 3 m, in moderate environmental conditions, and
for plastic sizes ranging from large micro-plastics upwards.
In addition, plankton samples collected at various
locations and depths suggest that zooplankton does not
get caught by the barrier. Moreover, the boom skirt does
not create any kind of trap for plankton populations nor
to sea life.
The flexible floating barrier was shown to follow the motion
of the sea surface, thereby preventing efficiency
losses of plastic due to over-topping in the tested conditions,
although the wave height was significantly smaller
than the average conditions in the North Pacific Gyre.
During towing of the boom, the skirt surfaced at higher
current speeds. Per Sub-chapter 2.6, those current conditions
are rare. However, it seems that the ~1 kg/m ballast
is not sufficient and should be higher during real-life
deployment, such as the 10-100 kg/m tested in Chapter
3. Scale model tests of a floating barrier exposed to the
spectrum of real environmental and mooring conditions
are required to help determine a suitable amount of ballast
for the barrier.