Biodegradable Use of Foam Materials in Western Rivers Buoys Construction

This Request for Information (RFI) is part of a market research effort by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to determine if there is an environmentally sound, biodegradable, and cost-efficient alternative to the foam core used in steel river buoys that provides similar performance characteristics but naturally degrades over time and minimizes foam waste in the environment. Ultimately, the RFI will support the USCG with identifying environmentally sound alternatives to plastic foam in river ATON buoys.

The goal of this RFI is to investigate/identify biodegradable foam materials that are environmentally friendly. All submissions of technology for this RFI should be a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or higher as defined in Figure 1 of the US Government Accountability Office’s Technology Readiness Assessment Guide.