Biomatrix Installation Manila with Local River Warriors

The ABS-CBN, foundation, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and Scottish Company, Biomatrix Water Technology are working with local contractors, implementing a fast track, in situ approach to improve water quality in key Esteros, such as the Paco.

The system incorporates a series of movable, floating water treatment systems called Active Island Reactors^TM which create a powerful matrix of complex biological reactions to reduce the heavy pollution load, and re-activate the waterways natural cleansing ability.

Galen Fulford of Biomatrix with the President of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino the third and Regina Lopez of ABS CBN Foundation

The installation in Paco includes four Active Island Reactors^TM, and five process zones to achieve as much treatment as possible within the section of the waterway between Pedro Gill and 13 De Augost along the side the new Paco Market.

Above the waterline, all that is visible looks like a floating garden however most of the system is under the water, and it is below the surface that the real work takes place.

225 Biomatrix Dynamic Media Columns^TM, are suspended from a tri-axial support mesh. The gently moving array of Dynamic Media Columns^TM provides a huge surface area which supports and stabilizes beneficial natural water cleaning organisms, which would otherwise be washed away.

These beneficial bacteria form layers made up of diverse communities of bacteria, fungi, attached algae and protozoa. As the Estero water circulates past the biological surfaces the long chains of molecules that are the pollutants are broken down into simpler non-polluting forms. Complex relationships between associated microorganisms in the system extend beyond the immediate sphere of influence to the whole waterway section, speeding up treatment and helping with sediment breakdown over a larger area.

The final configuration of the system, was partly inspired by the intricate structures of the Coral reefs of Palawan, which stand up to the harsh conditions of ocean storms and currents.

River Warrior Gabriel Suma guides a section of Active Island Reactor in to position on the Paco Waterway.

Thanks to the support from the Scottish Government, three types of Active Island Reactor are installed. The first up stream system is a ST-700 Surface Active Island Reactor. The second System is a Double-Process unit, combining the Directional Flow AT-500 and the Multi-Directional Flow TT-800. The third unit just below 13 De Agosto St. provides a final process stage with a TT-800 multi directional Active Island Reactor.

The system has been installed in just one week, thanks to the hard work of the project team and in particular local resident River Warriors, who will benefit from the systems and who are now becoming skilled work force for waterway restoration.

In heavy rains, the entire system floats up with the changing water level and the Dynamic Media Columns fold underneath allowing the water to flow freely past, a big improvement from a year ago when the Estero was congested with garbage and the flow hindered by ramshackle obstructions.