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

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 bladderwrack 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).

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.