In addition, the use of EPS floating structures is restricted since EPS floating structures contaminate the environment by, for example, blanketing the seabed from sunlight, thereby obstructing the photosynthesis of animals and plants growing on the seabed.
Furthermore, EPS fragments resulting from fractured EPS buoys contaminate a nearby sea area while floating in the sea. Because the EPS has a number of large pores, when the floating assembly has been used for about 1 year in seawater, the buoyancy thereof decreases because of the aggregation of seawater and the floating assembly fails to properly act. However, a floating structure formed of EPS has weak tensile strength and tends to be damaged when the floating assembly is subjected to impacts from waves or wind or collides against a variety of floating objects. In particular, floating structures formed out of EPS are most commonly used because of the advantages they offer, such as lightweight, strong buoyancy, corrosion resistance, cheap manufacturing costs, and the ease of construction works. Floating structures are used in some fields of the marine products industry in which adhesion organisms, such as laver, brown seaweed, or oysters, are raised in seawater.įloating structures are generally manufactured from EPS (commonly known as “Styrofoam”) and to a lesser degree of polyethylene foam.
A farming structure, such as a net or a rope, is hung on cylindrical floating structures such that the farming structure floats in the sea.
Michael Niaounakis, in Management of Marine Plastic Debris, 2017 1.4.1.5 Foamsįloating structures, such as buoys, are used as means for constructing or indicating a fish farm.