Algae Service For LIFE

Objectives

• To demonstrate integrated efficient management of nutrients and algal nuisance blooms at the catchment scale by harvesting of cyanobacteria scums and macroalgae mats in various types of water bodies (rivers, lakes, the Curonian Lagoon).
• To test and demonstrate the redesigning of waste biomass of cyanobacteria and macroalgae into potential valuable products for sustainable management and recycling of environmental resources.
• To raise awareness to environmental, water quality and health hazard issues among the national governments, local authorities, the business community and society for the continuation and transfer of proposed measures application on a broader scale after the end of the Life project.

The results of the project will demonstrate the efficiency of the prototypes-harvesters for mitigation of excess algal biomass, as the source of phosphorus, nitrogen and hazardous cyanotoxins, in the ecosystems to ensure their applicability and transferability to a high variety of EU aquatic ecosystems. Also, this project focuses on developing technologies to provide a reliable, affordable, and sustainable supply of algal biomass as a feedstock source.

Implementation of EU Directives

The project addresses to integrated management of nutrients and organic pollution of agricultural origin and suggest measures needed on river basin or catchment scale to achieve the goals of WFD, MSFD, Bathing Waters Directive, Nitrates Directive. Removal of nutrients using “natural-like” processes contributes to the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and provides an integrated framework for improving the environmental condition of the Baltic Sea. The project pursues the promoting ecosystem-based approaches: controlling harmful blooms in inland waters and diminishing nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea from the catchments. It is intended to develop the technologies for the provision of water service and gently mitigation of eutrophication.

Actions and means

The project AlgaeService for LIFE is structured in 5 actions and will be carried out by the international team constituted of researchers and staff from beneficiaries focusing on current environment ecological issues and skilled in different technical-applied solutions.

• Action 1. Construction, testing and demonstration of prototypes for harvesting of cyanobacteria and macroalgae.
  Two different prototypes will be manufactured as their operation in various freshwaters requires different technical solutions. Algae harvesting efficiency will be tested for mitigation of pollution in small (rivers, lakes) and larger (Curonian Lagoon) aquatic ecosystems in Lithuania and Poland.
• Action 2. Testing prepared methods for cyanobacteria scums, macroalgae mats biomass evaluation in situ and water quality analysis using traditional and distant methods.
  Traditional hydrobiological/phycological methods and distant technologies (satellite images and drones with digital cameras) will be used. Data on algal agglomerations in selected water bodies are necessary for costefficient testing of the prototypes and for the preparation of the optimized harvesting protocol.
  Biomass amount, changes in water physicochemical, biological parameters will be assessed as indicators of the water quality.
• Action 3. Testing cyanobacteria and macroalgae biomass collected from aquatic ecosystems for potential application as low and high value bioproducts.
  Harvested biomass will be tested at lab and field scale, and in the semi-pilot biogas digester. The entire biomass will be transferred into bioproducts (biogas, fertilisers) or the valuable components will be extracted from biomass (phycocyanin, other commodities). The action will demonstrate biomass applicability and economic feasibility which is very important for successful strategy for products from biomass development.
• Action 4. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): calculation of ecological and economic benefits of algae biomass harvesting and its application for human needs.
  Cost analysis of the harvesters operation, increase of water quality and incomes from obtained algal bioproducts will be included into LCA.
• Action 5. Raising awareness and dissemination of the project results on national and international levels.

Action includes several groups of deliverables: published information and video materials, communication events, trainings, dissemination of the results to target stakeholders and scientific society, raising awareness in society on media.