2.3. The Cleanup of the Arctic Marine Environment with Brown Algae Pilot Project

 

The Project Goals

  • To demonstrate an economically effective methodology of using brown algae to cleanup Arctic marine areas;
  • This could in future be used for a large-scale cleanup of oil pollution of the Arctic marine waters, thus reducing the impact of economic activities in Russia on international waters.

The Project was implemented by the "SIRENA" limited liability company (OOO "SIRENA", St. Petersburg). At different stages of its implementation, the Project saw the following participants: (i) Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, KNC RAS; (ii) The Main Branch of Zvezdochka FGUP – SRZ “Nerpa”(Snezhnogorsk); (iii) Lomonosov Moscow State University; (iv) Saint-Petersburg Chemical-Pharmaceutical Academy; (v) OOO “BIOTEHNKOM” (St. Petersburg); (vi) OOO "NORD-SERVICE" (Murmansk); (vii) OOO Murmansnab" (Murmansk); and (viii) OOO “BIOFRIZ” (Snezhnogorsk).

The Project Implementation Period                         November 2007 - December 2009.

The Project Activities

  • Selecting a site for the implementation of the pilot project in the Arctic waters of the Kola Bay in the Barents Sea and carrying out preparatory works for setting up the plantation;
  • Conducting a detailed survey along with hydrological and hydrochemical studies;
  • Setting up the brown algae plantation on the selected site;
  • Conducting ameliorative activities and monitoring of the environment and the plantation;
  • Harvesting brown algae and preparing it for utilization and processing;
  • Designing the scheme for the disposal of contaminated algae and processing of clean algae with the purpose of making commercial raw materials;
  • Preparing the summary and assessing the results;
  • Preparing a model project for the purpose of using brown algae to cleanup polluted sea waters;

The Project Outcomes

Fig.5
Figure 5. Satellite View of Biofilter Plantation Located Between Fuel Depot and Moorage

The pilot project “Cleanup of Arctic Marine Environment Using Biological Filtration Potential of Brown Algae” demonstrates an innovative method of cleanup of marine environment from oil pollution. This method is based on biological filtration capacity of a symbiotic association of brown algae and hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria.
 
The new technology has been implemented at the experimental plantation of algae in Olenia Bay of the Barrens Sea. Two main sources of oil pollution in this basin are Nerpa Ship Cutting Yard, and naval ships anchored in the open-sea part of the bay.


Fig.6
Figure 6. The Bay Floor Layout of the Biofilter Plantation

 

The experimental plantation was made of engineering structures with horizontal cable ropes stretched on the water surface, which provided the substrate for Fucus vesiculosus. These ropes supported 5-meter-long vertical slings, which served as substrate for Laminaria saccharina thalluses and epiphyte hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria, at a depth of 0.5-5 meters. The floating structure had an area of 0.5 ha and was attached to artificial anchors at a depth of 15-25 meters.


Fig.7
Figure 7. Pilot Sanitation Algae Plantation Prevents Oil Products from Spreading Over Sea Surface

Several major anthropogenic oil spills occurred in Olenja Bay during the project implementation period. Fucus algae at the experimental plantation directly contacted with oil film for a long time, serving as slick bars and cleaning the water surface.

Simultaneously with the tests performed in-situ at the plantation, several experiments were conducted in high seas and in the laboratory of the biological station of the Murmansk Institute of Marine Biology, located in Dalnie Zelentsy village on the coast of Barents Sea. These experiments demonstrated the potential of fucus algae to clean seawater from oil pollution.

The Project results can be summarized as the following conclusions:

  1. The proposed plantation design and biological filtering method can be implemented all the year round.
  2. The sanitary algae plantation (provided the plantation setting up technology is complied with) prevents spreading of oil products over the water surface and adsorbs oil products. It also reduces concentration of pollutants in the environment by including them into metabolism and then neutralizing them.
  3. The activity of hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria (epiphytes of brown algae) grows in the presence of oil products, which is an important factor to consider during the plantation inception stage.
  4. A unique original finding of this project is identification of five species of dominant epiphyte bacteria, which neutralized oil products on the surface of algae.
  5. Individual modules of the sanitary algae plantation can be effectively used for containment of oil films and sustainable development of aquaculture in the Barents Sea.
  6. Both the in-situ measurements and laboratory experiments showed that one hectare of a biofiltering plantation may neutralize about 100 kg of oil products per week.
  7. Valuable bioactive substances can be extracted from laminaria harvested at the sanitary algae plantation.
  8. The prototype plantation, implemented in the Barents Sea, can be also implemented in other seas provided that certain modifications are made to take in account specific regional abiotic and biotic factors.
Fig.8
Figure 8. Horizontal Substrate Ropes for Fucus vesiculosus on Water Surface of Olenia Guba

Built and operated in accordance with the above principle, the pilot sanitary algae station worked over 18 months under rather severe conditions. It faced several storms and confirmed the effects of localization of neutralization of hydrocarbon pollutions. The carrying structure could have a longer service life as compared to the above service life of the station.

Introduction of sanitary algae plantations is of particular importance as a tool to protect fish and crab plantations that are being established in the Murman coastal waters. The proposed brown algae-based technology of protecting marine environment from pollution could surely be used in other seas with due regard to specific features of the regions.

The pilot project implementation showed that the configuration of a bio-filter plantation for cleaning up marine areas from oil pollution depends on the geographical, hydrodynamic and hydrobiological features of the host area. The pilot project proposed a systemic model approach to the establishment of bio-filter plantations in different regions. 

The results of this pilot project provided sufficient material to file a patent application “A Method of Purification of Coastal Seawater from Oil Films and Oil Products, Dispersed in the Surface Layer” (2007106573/13). The patent application was approved.

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