Technology
SAND-Rx™ — Beach
Erosion Treatment Overview
SAND-Rx™ is a revolutionary beach erosion treatment that aids in the renourishment of beaches, and the remediation and reversal of beach
erosion. The treatment provides an ecologically friendly and sustainable alternative to current treatment methods.
Current beach erosion remediation methods focus on trying to modify wave action by creating structures intended to
inhibit wave action damage. SAND-Rx is the only product that addresses a
critical contributor to beach erosion — pollution.
Healthy beaches are sustained by the natural cohesion that exists
between sand and water. However, much of the sand around the world is
impacted by pollution, which causes the sand to become hydrophobic. Once the
sand is in this hydrophobic state, water beads off the sand (much like
the way it does off a freshly waxed surface) and eliminates the
cohesiveness (i.e., between sand particles themselves and between the
particles with water) that keeps uncontaminated sand on the beach. As
waves wash up on the beach, they take sand back into the ocean as the
wave recedes from the shore. Over time, the beach erodes and the
ecosystem is destroyed.
SAND-Rx™ restores the natural cohesion between sand and water by flushing
away hydrophobic compounds and other contaminants, resulting in the beach sand losing its waterproof characteristics. The
sand can then retain water, restoring the necessary cohesion between the
sand and the water and allowing the sand to remain on the beach as the
waves wash ashore. This process allows the benthic community (i.e. the
family of small animals and organisms that act as a food source for the
variety of animals and birds that live in the beach environment) and
various grasses and plant life to thrive and thus create a healthier
beach environment.
When a beach is treated with SAND-Rx™, the initial changes
occur off shore in the trenches (or troughs) that have been caused by
years of erosion. These trenches are filled with the sand that has been
treated with SAND-Rx™ and comes from the berms of sand that rest
at the edge of these troughs. The filling in of the troughs allows for
gentler wave action, which help to minimize erosion. Once the troughs are
filled, the sand is then pushed toward the beach by the action of the
waves. Rather than being carried by the waves, as occurs when the sand is
hydrophobic, the sand now remains below the water surface
and is pushed into the beach by the tide. This new sand is actually
pushed underneath the sand that exists on the beach and the existing
contaminated surface sand is then washed back into the ocean.
Due to the migratory properties of the SAND-Rx™ composition, as
the hydrophobic sand interacts with the sand treated with SAND-Rx™,
the sand receives the benefits from the SAND-Rx™ treatment. The process continues, until eventually the
SAND-Rx™ sand reaches the surface of the beach and all of the
contaminated sand has been removed by the tides and the beach is then
able to sustain itself.
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Uses
SAND-Rx™ can be used anywhere that wave action is present,
including ocean shores, bay areas, lakes and streams, as well as man-made or artificial beaches. The SandCastle Technology
team will do a full evaluation of your beach and determine if
SAND-Rx™ can help you!
SAND-Rx™ is applied in the water or sand adjacent
the eroding shoreline. The distance of the application from the shore is
dependent upon a number of factors including the condition of the beach,
the location of offshore erosion troughs and the wave action that reaches
the beach. SAND-Rx™ is placed in the water using equipment
appropriate for the depth of the water in which the composition is being
applied. After one application, SAND-Rx™ will affix itself to the
sand in the treated area, and results will be visible within as short a
time as 14 days. It is recommended that annual maintenance applications
of SAND-Rx™ be made to ensure the longevity of the effectiveness
of the treatment. In many cases the application process can be coordinated and completed in a manner that does not
require a beach to be closed for any extended period of time.
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How does SAND-Rx work?
The proprietary surface active agent in SAND-Rx produced from seed proteins, uses a
series of pH selective enzyme catalysts that transforms the hydrophobic (unhealthy) characteristic
of the polluted sand to a healthy and natural hydrophilic state. The surface active agent composition
displaces the contaminants from the sand surface, replacing them with a hydrophilic protein. This complex
resists further contamination allowing the sand to support clean water. The sand returns to its natural
cohesive state, thus promoting a non-erosive beach that can support plant and animal life. By addressing a
major cause of beach erosion, SAND-Rx provides a sustainable solution.
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Site Evaluation
A site evaluation is performed before recommending a treatment. Representative sand and water samples
are collected in order to evaluate the properties of the sand and optimize the application. A baseline
benthic evaluation is also conducted. A pilot-scale test may also be conducted to further improve the
effectiveness of the treatment.
If you would like more information about the safety of using or applying SAND-Rx™, contact us
by email at adahmani@sandcastlet.com or by phone at 413-531-2200.
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