Floating treatment bed for plants

摘要

Contaminating material is extracted from a body of water by providing a floating bed on which plants such as Cat Tails can be grown with their roots hanging into the body of water over an area where extraction of contaminating material from the body of water is required, growing the plants to take up the contaminating material from the body of water and harvesting the upstanding plant mass by moving the bed to a harvesting machine which cuts away the plant mass leaving at least part of the root mass to continue growing into a new season. The bed can be returned to a location for the next season.

主权项

1. A method for extraction of contaminating material from a body of water comprising:
forming a floating bed on which terrestrial plants can be grown with their roots hanging into the body of water; locating the floating bed over an area where extraction of contaminating material from the body of water is required; growing the terrestrial plants so as to form a root mass in the water and an upstanding plant mass; growing the terrestrial plants to take up the contaminating material from the body of water; and harvesting the upstanding plant mass leaving at least part of the root mass to continue growing into a new season; wherein, in the step of harvesting, each floating bed with the terrestrial plants thereon is passed through a harvesting machine at a harvesting location for cutting the plant mass and transporting the plant mass from the bed to a processing location; wherein the harvesting machine includes a first sickle knife spaced above a surface of the water so as to cut the upstanding plant mass as the floating bed is passed underneath the first sickle knife without the floating bed being submerged.