Can bank protection be made of both natural material and circular? An innovative pilot is investigating this question in the context of the SBIR call for Biobased and Circular Bank Protection. Two promising materials, willow wicker and biocomposite, are being tested for their durability and effectiveness. The test location in Hellouw, Gelderland, was officially opened in May.
Two types of bank protection have been installed on a ditch along the shipyard of Van Aalsburg, a specialist in willow wood: one made from traditional willow wicker and the other from Nabasco, a biocomposite developed by the Delft company NPSP. These prototypes will be subjected to rigorous tests in the coming months to evaluate their service life, technology and retaining height. This research is being carried out on behalf of the Rivierenland, Zuiderzeeland and Vallei en Veluwe water boards, together with Rijkswaterstaat and the Applied Water Research Foundation (STOWA).
Reduce impact on the environment
“This is a rare broad group of clients,” says Hetty Huijs of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), which supports the search. The feasibility and potential of new biobased and circular bank protection are being investigated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). The bank protection is tested up to a retaining height of no less than six meters.
The clients strive to find more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials such as hardwood, plastic and steel. “Every year we replace kilometers of revetments alone,” says Heemraad Kees Romijn of the Rivierenland Water Board. “At the water boards throughout the Netherlands we are talking about more than 1200 kilometers in 10 years. That's a significant footprint. We want to achieve our climate goals, also in our banks.”
Willow wicker and new materials under the microscope
Bank protection must be able to withstand various natural forces, both under and above water. Dick van Aalsburg, who is modernizing a centuries-old craft with his family business, knows that willow wicker can withstand a lot. “There is no shortage of quality and experience, now we just need the substantiation,” he says.
NPSP from Delft, on the other hand, is working on new biobased composites, composed of residual materials such as sugar cane, sewage water and natural fibers such as hemp or flax. These materials have already been successfully used in facades and trains. Director Mark Lepelaar strongly believes in the potential of the biobased composite Nabasco as bank protection: “This test will show us whether this application has a future.”
The research will last until the end of this year and will conclude with a final meeting, where the results of the test will be presented by the entrepreneurs involved.
Source: RVO
