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HAVBRUK2-Stort program for havbruksforskning

ERA-NET: BlueBio Value creation and ecosystem services of European seaweed industry by reducing and handling potentially toxic elements

Alternative title: BlueBio Verdiskaping og økosystemtjenester av europeisk tang- og tarenæring ved å redusere og behandle potensielt toksiske element

Awarded: NOK 6.1 mill.

The Norwegian contribution to the BlueBio consortium includes the three research partners, Nofima, NMBU and NORSØK as well as the seaweed farmer Ocean Forest. In addition, the seaweed producers Algea and Nutrimar will contribute with residual seaweed material to experiments and contribute in meetings, knowledge dissemination etc. The overall aim is to promote value creation, including ecosystem services, and further expansion of the seaweed industry in Europe. It will fill knowledge gaps on Potential Toxic Elements (PTE) in farmed sugar kelp and Arsenic (As) in collected rock weed and fucus. In addition, the project will increase understanding of the impact of using seaweed material in soil on elemental uptake in crop plants and Carbon Sequestration and Storage (CSS). SeaSoil considers and addresses the whole value chain, including the actors, by a responsible research and innovation approach. The project will by four work packages (WP): 1) Estimate heritabilities and genetic covariation in contents of cadmium (Cd), As and iodine (I) in sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) from two areas in Norway, and evaluate potential selection response of their reduced contents (WP2) 2) Study the impact of seaweed application rate and water saturation on the As dynamics in soil to determine chemical reactivity and potential bioavailability of labile As using an outdoor tank experiment with two crops (WP3) 3) Estimate the potential of seaweed amendments for CSS in agricultural soils (WP3) 4) Study the impact of seaweed production on the environment (primarily climate change), and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the seaweed industry, including ecosystem services (WP4) 5) Study the economic feasibility, and potential regulatory measures, for stimulating production and use of (residual) material from farmed seaweed (WP4) 6) Ensure good cooperation, inclusion, open communication, engagement, and training in line within Responsible Research and Innovation (WP1-WP4). The main results of genetic studies of Norwegian sugar kelp (Bergen or Tromsø origin) in a laboratory experiment indicate a potential of using selective breeding for faster growth and reduced accumulation of cadmium and iodine. However, financial barriers and Norwegian regulations prevent private investment in selective breeding programs. Further novel phenotyping methods for hyperspectral images may be useful in breeding programs and will be studied further in the project. In 2023, the project investigated whether perennial meadow could survive a very high supply of seaweed materials. The answer was yes, and the yields were high, but with an unfavorable composition of minerals, and a high content of arsenic. We do not know if this was organic arsenic, but it will be investigated. The composition of minerals in the feed was unfavorable for ruminants. In an extensive experiment with oats in wooden frames with increasing amounts of seaweed material added, the results also show a higher uptake of arsenic, but not of cadmium. Samples from the topsoil layer were examined with diffusive thin gradient film (DGT), which mimics nutrient uptake in plant roots. The uptake of arsenic in plants was reasonably well correlated with DGT-As in soil, while cadmium uptake was less clearly correlated. A MSc thesis (Kammerud and Skansberg, 2024) presented results from a cost-benefit analysis of wild-harvested rockweed and cultivated sugar kelp; with economic valuation of effects on ecosystem services in terms of environmental damage costs from wild-harvested seaweed (Norwegian households' willingness to pay to restore kelp forests in Norway) and carbon sequestration (marginal costs of reducing CO2 emissions in Norway to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement) from the cultivation of sugar kelp. A survey of willingness to pay for organic soil amendment based on seaweed material in 2024 shows an average for 150 Norwegian farmers of NOK 4.6 per kg. The result will vary with different content, quality and effect of the product on crop and microbial life in the soil. An online survey is also conducted among all types of stakeholders in the sector to investigate the current situation of the value chain and market for seaweed and kelp in Europe, and to understand the challenges of harvesting, breeding, processing and commercialization and to be able to investigate possible solutions. Finally, a perspective article (Olesen et al., 2023) was published. It discusses how systemic innovations can contribute to a stepwise change of the food production in Europe. A systemic and cross-sectoral approach, using low-trophic species, including plants, seaweed, kelp and mussels and increasing organic carbon stores in soil and vegetation (C-storage), can contribute to reduced climate change by transferring atmospheric CO2 to the terrestrial biosphere.

This is the Norwegian contribution to the BlueBio project SeaSoil. The overall project aim is to promote value creation, including ecosystem services, and further expansion of the seaweed industry in Europe. It will fill knowledge gaps on Potential Toxic Elements (PTE) in farmed sugar kelp and As in collected bladderwrack and fucus, in addition to impact of using seaweed material in soil on elemental uptake in crop plants and Carbon Sequestration and Storage (CSS). SeaSoil takes a holistic value chain approach according to the RRI framework, and will: 1) Estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations in contents of Cd, As and I in sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) from two areas in Norway, and evaluate potential selection response of their reduced contents (WP2) 2) Study the impact of seaweed application rate and water saturation on the As dynamics in soil to determine chemical reactivity and potential bioavailability of labile As using an outdoor tank experiment with two crops (WP3) 3) Estimate the potential of seaweed amendments for CSS in agricultural soils (WP3) 4) Study the impact of seaweed production on the environment (primarily climate change) using LCA, and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the seaweed industry, including ecosystem services (WP4) 5) Study the economic feasibility, and regulatory incentives, for production and use of (residual) biomass from farmed seaweed (WP4) 6) Ensure multi-actor approach and integrated cooperation, communication and human capacity building in line within Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) (All 5 WPs). The project mobilises a total of 10 partners (including three industry partners) from five countries (Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Croatia and Estonia), covering a broad range of disciplines and expertise, to ensure food and feed safety of seaweed products and realise the potential of the seaweed value chain to support the European circular bioeconomy.

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

HAVBRUK2-Stort program for havbruksforskning

Thematic Areas and Topics

BioteknologiLTP3 Samfunnssikkerhet og beredskapKlimaLTP3 Klima, polar og miljøBioteknologiMarin bioteknologiBioøkonomiØvrig bioøkonomiLTP3 Muliggjørende og industrielle teknologierLTP3 Miljøvennlig energi og lavutslippsløsningerHavbrukAvl og genetikkBransjer og næringerLandbrukLTP3 Nano-, bioteknologi og teknologikonvergensMarinMarin bioteknologiKlimaRammebetingelser og virkemidler for utslippsreduksjon og karbonopptakCo-Funded/ERA-NETPortefølje Muliggjørende teknologierPortefølje Energi og transportLandbrukPlanterHavbrukHavbrukSamfunns- og markedsperspektiver havbrukAnvendt forskningLavutslippLTP3 Bioøkonomi og forvaltningMatMat - BlågrønnHavbrukAnnen havbruksrelevant forskningPortefølje Klima og miljøLTP3 Hav og kystMatMat - Grønn sektorInternasjonaliseringKutt i utslipp av klimagasserLTP3 Marine bioressurser og havforvaltningLTP3 Samfunnsikkerhet, sårbarhet og konfliktInternasjonaliseringInternasjonalt samarbeid om utlysningBioøkonomiPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderMatTrygg verdikjedeKlimarelevant forskningInternasjonaliseringInternasjonalt prosjektsamarbeidPortefølje Mat og bioressurserBioøkonomiSektorovergripende bioøkonomiLandbrukLandbrukJordBransjer og næringerLTP3 Høy kvalitet og tilgjengelighetLTP3 Rettede internasjonaliseringstiltakBransjer og næringerFiskeri og havbrukMarinLTP3 Styrket konkurransekraft og innovasjonsevneCo-Funded/ERA-NETERA-NET Cofund H2020Portefølje InnovasjonMarinHavbrukLTP3 Et kunnskapsintensivt næringsliv i hele landetMatLTP3 Klima, miljø og energiPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderFiskeri og kystPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderSkog, landbruk og matPortefølje ForskningssystemetResponsible Research & InnovationResponsible Research & InnovationRRI Medvirkning