LIFE Project Number LIFE11 ENV/SE/839 FINAL Report Covering the project activities from 01/09/2012 to 31/08/2015. Reporting Date 30/11/2015

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1 LIFE Project Number LIFE11 ENV/SE/839 FINAL Report Covering the project activities from 01/09/2012 to 31/08/2015 Project location Reporting Date 30/11/2015 LIFE+ PROJECT NAME or Acronym BUCEFALOS Project Data Sydsverige Project start date: 01/09/2012 Project end date: 31/08/2015 Total Project duration (in months) 36 months Total budget 3,681,067 Total eligible budget 3,268,622 EU contribution: 1,634,311 (%) of total costs 44 (%) of eligible costs 50 Name Beneficiary Contact person Postal address Visit address Beneficiary Data City of Malmö Mr Rasmus Fredriksson Environment Department, SE, , Malmö Bergsgatan,17, SE, , Malmö Telephone (direct: ) Fax: Project Website

2 1. List of contents 1. List of contents Executive Summary Introduction Administrative part Description of the management system Changes due to amendment to the Grant Agreement: Organigramme after the amendment to the Grant Agreement Evaluation of the management system Technical part Technical actions Action B1 Regional coordination for sustainable resource management Action B2, Collection and cultivation of water filtrating marine biomass Action B3, Freshwater cleaning algae farming for sustainable energy production Action B4, Approaches to sustainable utilization of aquatic biomass Action B5, Closing the loop -Making use of rest products Action C.1 Monitoring the project's impact on the environment Action C.2 Socio-economic evaluation Action E.4 Networking with other projects and platforms Dissemination actions Objectives Overview per activity Evaluation of Project Implementation Methodology applied Results compared to objectives set out in proposal Visibility of project results Effect of project amendments Effectiveness of dissemination activities Analysis of long-term benefits Environmental benefits Long-term benefits and sustainability Replicability, demonstration, transferability and cooperation Best Practice lessons Innovation and demonstration value: Long term indicators of the project success Comments on the financial report Summary of Costs Incurred Accounting systems Partnership arrangements Auditor's report/declaration Annexes Administrative annexes Technical annexes Dissemination annexes Financial report and annexes

3 2. Executive Summary The Bucefalos project has aimed to demonstrate effective ways of combating the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea by using aquatic biomass as a raw material for processes such as biogas production. With this approach biomass formerly seen as a non-value or waste product such as beach cast seaweed and reeds constitute a valuable resource for renewable energy. In addition to demonstrating ways of producing renewable bio methane from aquatic biomass the project has also demonstrated ways of utilizing the filtering capacity of the blue mussels by cultivating and harvesting blue mussels grown in Öresund, the sound between Malmö and Copenhagen. By using the harvested mussels to produce feedstock or biogas the nutrients collected by the filtering mussels are returned into the nutrient cycle. To ensure the impact of the demonstrated technical activities a substantial part of the project has revolved around dissemination and networking. The project has hosted a number of stakeholder and networking workshops themed around the selected aquatic raw materials and their potential usage in the Skåne region. By targeting the wide-spread problem of eutrophication with costeffective and feasible solutions that we have demonstrated in the project we hope to inspire to similar activities in other European coastal regions. Administrative part The project has been coordinated by the City of Malmö with Skåne regional council and Trelleborg municipality as associated beneficiaries. A steering group comprised of high level members of the beneficiary s organizations has overlooked the project implementation as well as the projects ability to reach its objectives. To support and advice the project team during planning and implementation of the project actions, a reference group comprised of leading scientists in the relevant research fields, experts from governmental authorities and politicians was formed. Technical part The projects technical actions can be categorized as follows: Regional planning and mapping of aquatic resources, Blue mussel cultivation and harvesting, Algae cultivation and harvesting and Biogas production from aquatic resources. Skåne Regional Council has focused on mapping and investigating the potential for using aquatic resources in the Skåne region. The main focus for the different studies performed are the potential for producing biogas, in line with Region Skåne s Roadmap for biogas however there are several different areas where the resources can be utilized. The City of Malmö has focused, aside from project coordination, on the cultivation of blue mussels and harvesting of blue mussels from permanent vertical structures in the Öresund strait. The cultivation sites has comprised of large submerged net-structures which were naturally settled by blue mussels during the summer. After ca 24 months the mussels were harvested. For harvesting from vertical structures divers equipped with scrapers have scraped the mussels from the structures. Two methods for increasing the efficiency of the harvesting using air- and water pumps has been demonstrated and tested. Trelleborg municipality has focused on Algae cultivation, both micro- and macro-algae, and Biogas production from aquatic resources. Macro algae are cultivated in wetlands; in total 13 separate wetlands using 4 different systems have been constructed. The wetlands are so called 3

4 Production wetlands designed to be easily harvested using standard farming equipment. The microalgae cultivation was connected to the sewage treatment plant in Smygehuk. Trelleborg has constructed a two-step dry fermentation biogas facility specifically for using aquatic resources such as beach cast algae and reeds which are prone to cause problems in the more standard onestep reactors. The actions and techniques implemented and demonstrated in the Bucefalos project has focused on solving the problem with eutrophication by using the excess biomass produced as a resource in biogas production instead of as a costly problem. Most coastal regions and municipalities in Europe are facing the same problems and the potential for transferability of the project results is therefore very high. 3. Introduction The aim of the Bucefalos project has been to demonstrate effective ways of combating the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea by using aquatic biomass as a raw material for biogas production. With this approach biomass formerly seen as a non-value or waste product such as beach cast seaweed and reeds constitute a valuable resource for renewable energy. In addition to demonstrating ways of producing renewable bio methane from aquatic biomass the project has also demonstrated ways of utilizing the filtering capacity of the blue mussels by cultivating and harvesting blue mussels grown in Öresund. By using the harvested mussels to produce feedstock or biogas the nutrients collected by the filtering mussels are returned back into the nutrient cycle. To ensure the impact of the demonstrated technical activities a substantial part of the project has revolved around dissemination and networking. The project has hosted a number of stakeholder and networking workshops focusing on the selected aquatic raw materials and their potential usage in the Skåne region. By targeting the wide-spread problem of eutrophication with cost-effective and feasible solutions as demonstrated in the project we hope and anticipate inspiring to similar activities in European coastal regions in the future. 4. Administrative part 4.1. Description of the management system The role as lead beneficiary and project coordinator has been transferred from Skåne Regional Council to City of Malmö as of the start of the project. The project team has consisted of members from all three partner organizations. The project team has convened about once every two months to discuss the projects progress in relation to set goals and time tables, reporting issues and eventual encountered problems. The meetings have usually been led by the project coordinator following an approved agenda. Project team members: 4

5 From The City of Malmö: Mr Rasmus Fredriksson, Project coordinator Mr Martin Karlsson, Technical project leader Mrs Anita Tapper, Financial officer Mr Daniel Skog, Communications officer Mrs Yang Zhang, Project assistant From Region Skåne: Mrs Carina Sühnel, Project leader Mr Filip Hvitlock, Technical project leader (until January 2015) Ms Helena Tsiparis, Project officer (from January 2015) Ms Lisa Malm, Project officer (from January 2015) From Trelleborg municipality: Ms Annika Hansson, Project leader Ms Matilda Gradin, Project officer Mr Tony Fagerberg, Project officer (until December 2014) Mr Filip Hvitlock, Project officer (from January 2015) A steering group made up of department heads from the three partner organizations was formed and have had five meetings since the start of the project. Steering group members: Mr Per-Arne Nilsson, Head of unit, Malmö Environment Department Mr Oddvar Fiskesjö, Head of unit, Region Skåne Mr Rune Brandt, Head of department, Trelleborg municipality A reference group has been formed and consists of leading scientists and departments officials with expert knowledge about the different areas of the project. The reference group has convened 2 times since the start of the project, one of which was at the Kick-off Changes due to amendment to the Grant Agreement: Due to a major structural change in the organization and management of Region Skåne, the project team decided, in dialogue with among others Technical Desk Officer Mr Stefan Welin, to send in a Request for Amendment to move the role of coordinating beneficiary to City of Malmö. This change was approved by the Commission in January of 2014 and ana amendment to the Grant Agreement was signed 03/04/2014. In the Request for Amendment the amounts of overhead amounts were unfortunately not updated leading to incorrect contributions from the coordinating and the associated beneficiaries in the amendment to the Grant Agreement. The error was discovered while the partnership agreements were being signed. In the financial reporting which constitutes a part of this final report the correct amounts of overhead are used. Supplementary changes in relation to this issue with overhead costs have also been made to the partnership agreements and a copy of these is attached to this report as Annex A1. 5

6 4.3. Organigramme after the amendment to the Grant Agreement. Reference Group Steering Group: Per-Arne Nilsson, MALMÖ Oddvar Fiskesjö, RGS Rune Brandt, TRELLE Project coordinator: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ B1: Carina Sühnel, RGS B2: Martin Karlsson, MALMÖ B3: Annika Hansson, TRELLE B4: Matilda Gradin, TRELLE B5: Carina Sühnel, RGS C1: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ C2: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ D1: Daniel Skog, MALMÖ D2: Daniel Skog, MALMÖ D3: Daniel Skog, MALMÖ D4: Daniel Skog, MALMÖ D5: Annika Hansson, TRELLE D6: Daniel Skog, MALMÖ E1: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ E2: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ E3: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ E4: Rasmus Fredriksson, MALMÖ 4.4. Evaluation of the management system The change in the coordinating beneficiary is reflected in the change of responsible beneficiary for project joint actions such as C, D and E-actions. The change is also reflected in the budget by transferring budget posts between the beneficiaries. Outputs and deliverables of the project as well as the timetable have however remained unchanged. Communication between the project team and the Commission and the Monitoring Team has worked very well. The projects monitor, Ms Inta Duce, has performed four visits to the project, in May of 2013, in May of 2014, in June of 2015 and the last one in November These visits have proven valuable and indeed very helpful for the project team and for the smooth implementation of the project activities. 6

7 5. Technical part See Annex A2 for tables regarding the status of deliverables and milestones Technical actions Action B1 Regional coordination for sustainable resource management (Running time September August ) This action has been completed with minor alterations in B1.1 and a larger alteration in B1.2. These alterations has been communicated with the commission and approved in the EC letter of November B1.1 Mapping and communication of regional resources and utilization potentials A workshop was arranged by RGS in Malmö in October The purpose of this workshop was to receive input and to share experiences with experts in the topics that BUCEFALOS concerns. The workshop was very successful and the participants (33 in total) came from different organizations such as municipalities, universities, biogas companies and so on. The results from the workshop are presented on the project web page. The reports on biogas potential from aquatic substrates for Skåne region was finished in june 2015 and the results are incorporated in the County Administrative Board of Skåne s GIS tool. For practical reasons, the project team decided to split the foreseen single report into two. The first report focusing on algae on beaches and fish waste was completed and published on the project web page in September The second report focusing on mussels, wetland plants and micro algae was finished in June This change meant that the deadline for the deliverable could no longer be met, which was communicated in the Midterm report. The delay had, however, no effect on the implementation of any other actions. The two reports on the regional biogas potential from aquatic resources are available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T2 and Annex T3. B1.2 Stimulating sustainable regional use of aquatic biomass to produce biogas Two workshops per year have been arranged with different topics which are relevant to the project goals; to establish and stimulate sustainable use of aquatic biomass for the production of biogas. The results from the workshops are presented on the project web page. The first networking workshop was organised in connection to Roadmap for Biogas in Skåne s yearly start up meeting on January 24, All participants of the Road Map where invited for a common session in the morning. In the afternoon the discussions focused on special areas of activities. The different activities within Bucefalos were discussed in the working group concerning production of biogas. The workshop took place in Region Skåne s offices in Malmö with a total of 57 participants. 7

8 Region Skåne arranged a second networking workshop about utilizing beach algae biomass in Malmö on June 11, Municipalities, entrepreneurs, the County Administrative Board of Skåne et al. participated. Results from a survey on municipal use of algae on beaches, also being used in the potential report, were presented at the workshop. Trelleborg also contributed with the results from their progress with the algae biogas reactor etc. Presentations and discussions were held in plenum, the number of participants were 26. Region Skåne arranged a stakeholder workshop on December 4, The purpose of the workshop was to discuss what the opportunities and challenges facing the cultivation of microalgae for sewage means for the implementation of this technique. The participants discussed whether one can use microalgae for sewage treatment and at the same time extract energy? 28 participants from municipalities, universities, private companies, research institutes and other organizations where represented in the workshop. Region Skåne arranged the fourth workshop on February 11, 2015 on the theme Mussel cultivation along the coast of Scania. What is the future of Scanian mussel cultivation and how well does it work in our vulnerable water? The workshop presented the results so far achieved within the project. Full-scale mussel-rigs, tailored to the Öresund exposed conditions was demonstrated. The potential to conduct Mussel cultivation along the coast of Scania was discussed. 20 participants from municipalities, enterprises, research institutes and other organizations participated in the workshop. Region Skåne arranged the final workshop on February 24, The workshop dealt with production wetlands as phosphorus traps and energy producers. Can wetland plants be used as a renewable energy source? A new type of productive wetlands, optimized for optimal nutrition capture and easy harvesting of aquatic plants was demonstrated. Even the potential to use reed for energy production was presented and discussed. 28 participants from municipalities, private companies, research institutes and other organizations took part in the workshop. Please see the project website for more information about the workshops held within the project. To be able to reach out to stakeholders and actors in the region an network was established. At the end of the project at total of 197 people from municipalities, national authorities, private companies and universities were receiving information about ongoing activities from this network. A report on communication methodology is attached to this report as Annex T1 B1.3 Baseline factors for cultivation of aquatic biomass in a region The layout of the field study was changed from what was stated in the project application due to both economic reasons and applicability. These changes were communicated in the Midterm report and were approved by the commission in EC letter dated November Chemical measurements as the ones mentioned in the project application form would have to be carried out monthly throughout a whole year to give reliable results. A field study with that layout would neither fit within the budget nor give much more information about potential cultivation sites than the results from the desktop study (B.1.1). Therefore RGS decided to redesign the field study to a layout that was predicted to be of most value for the project. 8

9 The new design of the B.1.3 field study was based on placing small mussel cultivation units at six representative locations around the coast of Skåne. The mussel growth (quantity and shell size) was measured, and the data was compared to the results from the full scale mussel cultivation units that City of Malmö has established within the BUCEFALOS project. One of the six locations was right next to the full scale cultivation site. This setup made it possible to extrapolate the results from the other locations in the field study to full scale cultivation potential. The implemented field study layout required only two visits per location and expensive laboratory test were avoided. The added value of this adjustment is that the results received from the field study could be used in the potential study on cultivation of aquatic biomass in the Skåne region, action B1.1. This would not have been possible with the original field study layout. In the Baltic Sea and at the Swedish west coast mussel larvae (Mytilus edulis) are released and settle at the highest rate in May. The units were therefore placed out in April 2014 and collected in October-November The results from the field study contributed with substantial information to the B.1.1 potential study on mussel cultivation. The report on the potential for cultivating mussels along the coast of Skåne is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T4. B1.4 The aquatic biogas potential at municipal level RGS and MALMÖ (the City of Malmö) completed a report on the biogas potential from aquatic substrates within the Malmö area in January It was important for RGS to be highly involved in this report to make sure that the methods and scientific layout were the same as in the B.1.1 reports. The report is available on the project website and attached to this report as Annex T5. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Mapping and communication of regional resources and utilization potentials Stimulation of sustainable regional use of aquatic biomass to produce biogas Baseline factors for cultivation of aquatic The reports on sources, possible ranges of application, etc. delivered Number of participants at the stakeholders workshop in 1.1. and 1.2 Potential members of biogas/aquatic biomass stakeholder network are identified Number of stakeholders in The reports are published on the website. A total of 159 participants have taken part in the workshops in B1.1 and B1.2 A total of 197 people were part of the network. Unfortunately no reliable Yes Yes Yes Yes 9

10 biomass in the region A picture of potential to produce biogas from aquatic biomass at municipal level Full regional picture of potential to produce biogas from aquatic biomass. A full regional picture of potential spots for cultivation of biomass in the sea. the region using the GIS-tool Number of stakeholders in Europe using GIS-tool as example for planning of sustainable aquatic biomass management The action plan for the city of Malmö completed All B.1.1 reports published. All B.1.1 reports published. quantitative data to present. Unfortunately no reliable quantitative data to present. The action plans is completed and available on the project website All reports are published on the project website. All reports are published on the project website. Yes Yes Yes Yes 10

11 Action B2, Collection and cultivation of water filtrating marine biomass. (September August ) This action has been completed according to the time schedule. A small delay caused by an appeal of one of the procurements during the summer of 2013 has been compensated for. A technical project manager was employed at the environment department in Malmö. He has been responsible for the technical parts of the mussel cultivation and the vertical harvesting of mussels from man-made structures. The procurement for the external technical parts of the action (maintenance, diving, boat transportation etc.) was set to be finished in May of 2013 but was appealed. Pending the court ruling the work was downsized to only include inspection and maintenance of the site. The appeals were been settled and the court ruled in our favour, allowing us to, in august 2013, sign a contract with the winning entrepreneur, SEA-U Marine Knowledge Center. B2.1 Design of a full scale mussel cultivation site in the Öresund The construction of the mussel cultivation demonstration site was procured during the spring of 2013 and final delivery was planned to take place in June of Also during the spring of 2013, the application process for the required legal and environmental permits for the cultivation site was undergoing. The final permits were in place by 11 of June Unfortunately there was a delay of approximately 2 months caused by the manufacturer causing the demonstration site to be only partly delivered on time. This caused further delays causing the site to be finetuned and operational first in October This delay was compensated for by postponing the harvest one month until June 2015, however still leaving enough time to complete the action during the project period. The total cost for the cultivation site was lower than expected and less than what was foreseen in the proposed budget. The cultivation site comprised of large net structures with three different types of substrates used for the mussel larvae to settle on; two types of nets with different mesh size and one type of cultivation band (commonly used in commercial mussel cultivation sites). See Figure 1 for a visual representation. Figure 1. Illustration showing the different substrates used in each of the mussel rigs (not to scale). To survive the harsh conditions during the winter months the rigs were firmly anchored to the sediment and the nets placed along the direction of the currents submerged by ca 2 meters. The purpose of this was to allow for the drift ice to pass above the rigs during the winters, a strategy that worked according to plan. The cultivation site survived the harsh conditions during the 11

12 winter and , except for a few buoys that were lost. The buoys were however easily replaced. The action has demonstrated that it is feasible to cultivate mussels for nutrient reduction and biomass production in the Öresund strait. Out of the three tested substrates, the net with the smaller mesh size showed the best results with an average mussel weight of 23.6 kg/m 2 at the time of harvest. The larger mesh sized net had an average mussel weight of 18 kg/m 2 and the bands an average weight of 2.35 kg/m. The nutrient reduction from harvesting the mussels has been calculated using two different methods (see the technical report for a more detailed description) and the results varies. By using the projects own analyses regarding nitrogen and phosphorus content in the mussels the small mesh size substrate had a reduction of kg nitrogen per m 2 and kg phosphorus per m 2. The other method, using standardized values, shows a reduction of kg nitrogen per m 2 and kg phosphorus per m 2 for the small mesh size substrate. In the proposal there was an overly ambitious expected achievement of a nutrient reduction of 10% of what the local Sege-river releases each year. This would mean an uptake of approximately 50 tons of nitrogen and 1 ton of phosphorus each year. When using the standardized values-method this action resulted in a theoretical total reduction of 176 kg of nitrogen and 17.6 kg of phosphorus. If the demonstration site were to be scaled up to a theoretical maximum with ten 100-meters rigs per hectare and using only the smaller mesh size substrates, such a site could produce ca tons of mussels every two years. This would result in a nutrient reduction of kg nitrogen per hectare per 2 years and kg phosphorus per hectare per 2 years. In order to grow enough mussels each year to create an uptake of 10 % of the Sege-river discharge a cultivation site of approximately 60 hectares would be required. The technical report on how to design and construct the mussel cultivation site is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T6. B2.2 Collection and cultivation on man-made constructions in the Öresund Trial harvests have been made on the Oresund Bridge s pillars during the summer of 2013 and The first trials in 2013 were conducted using divers equipped with two different types of scrapers one metal and one plastic. No difference in harvest capacity between the two types of scrapers was proven hence the plastic one was preferred since it did not risk damaging the concrete pillars. The mussels were placed in special diving bags and were then winched to the deck of the boat used. There were no problems collecting large volumes of mussels but in order to get the procedure efficient enough to be economically viable other methods had to be developed. During the spring of 2015 trials using two kinds of pumps (air and hydro) were conducted inside the harbour in Malmö. It was soon decided that the air-powered pump was not efficient enough to secure a steady flow of mussels and the technique was abandoned. The harbour-trials of the hydro-pump were deemed satisfactory and trials on the Oresund Bridge were conducted during the summer. The trials in unsheltered waters proved that the water hoses became to heavy for the divers to operate efficiently. This led to the development of a pipe-based solution minimizing the length of hose needed with the result that the divers could move more freely. 12

13 The technical report on vertical harvesting of mussels is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T7. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project A functional technology for cultivation of mussels for the conditions of the Öresund and Baltic Sea Establishment of the demonstration site completed The demonstrated was established in 2013 Yes A functional technology harvesting mussels on man-made constructions for the conditions of the Öresund and Baltic Sea At least 3 delegations from Europe will visit the demonstration sites 10% of the nitrogen and the phosphorus from Sege river is removed by the growth on the cultivation site and from the harvesting. Harvester adapted and ready for testing Number of harvests performed on the man-made constructions Number of visitors at the demonstration sites Tonnes of mussels harvested The different technologies were tested in 2013 and 2015 Ca 8 During the project period a total of 348 people visited the demonstration site. Delegations from Denmark, Namibia and Russia have visited the site. Ca 7 tons of mussels were harvested during the project. Yes Yes Yes No 13

14 Action B3, Freshwater cleaning algae farming for sustainable energy production. (September August ) B3.1 Combining nutrient separation with biogas production in an optimized design of a wetland The purpose of this sub action was to s to perform a study on how to design of wetlands in which a maximum separation capacity is combined with a maximized biogas production capacity of the produced biomass. This was achieved in a previous project lead by the municipality of Trelleborg thus making it redundant to perform in BUCEFALOS. The results from the study are used in BUCEFALOS to construct what we have decided to call production wetlands. Plans for fermenting biomasses from wetlands, more specific reed, have been made in cooperation with the responsible entrepreneur Norups Gård Bioraff AB. B3.2 Establishing wetlands optimized for cleaning waters and producing renewable energy An external entrepreneur, Ekoll AB, was procured to perform the tasks in this action. Two sites for wetlands were pointed out, one that lies on municipal land and one on private land. The two wetlands, Tullstorp and Albäcken, are described below. Ekoll AB was tasked to build the wetlands on the municipal land and to carry out the control program for both sites. They were also assigned to organize stakeholders workshops by seeking up landowners in Trelleborg municipality to explain the concept of production wetlands, spread the interest of establishing more production wetlands and to help private person s with some administrative concerns in the process of creating a production wetland. Tullstorp The establishment of the wetland on private land was performed in collaboration with the Tullstorpsån-project where a landowner previously had shown interest and agreed to let us use his land in a written contract. In constructing the wetland the design from Trelleborgs previous project was used. This production wetland was designed to meet the following requirements: 1) easy harvesting with traditional agricultural machinery 2) high yield of biomass for biogas production 3) high nutrient retention The purpose of the traditional wetland is to function as a reference for comparison with the production and nutrient retention in the production wetland, see Figure 2. 14

15 Figure 2 Production wetland and reference wetland in Tullstorp In an area of m 2 in the production wetland, a total of one-year old plants of common reed (4 plants/m2) were planted in July 2014 see Figure 3. Figure 3. planting of reed in production wetland in Tullstorp 15

16 Albäcken The set-up in the drainage area of Albäcken, on municipal land, consists of 12 small production wetlands/ponds and one wetland functioning as a water reservoir to ensure continuous water supply to the production wetlands, see Figure 4. Figure 4. Production wetlands set up in Albäcken. From year 2015 landowners in Sweden are offered subsidies for covering costs connected with the construction of two-stage ditches in reaches of streams. The benches in a two-stage ditch/stream reach may function as a production wetland and the production wetlands were intentionally designed as such a two-stage ditch, see Figure 5. Figure 5. Cross section of a two-stage ditch. Since different plant species have different nutrient dynamics, some have a more efficient uptake and retention for phosphorus than nitrogen and vice versa, the set-up aimed to find out if the nutrient retention could be improved by adding a second species to the traditional monoculture production of biomass. At the same time, by adding a second species, more habitats are provided which may result in higher biodiversity of other organisms. As an emergent species, Common reed was used 16

17 whereas Chara tomentosa was used as submerged species. The structure of Chara sp. is complex, providing a variety of habitats for benthic invertebrates and zooplankton. Under favorable conditions charophytes form dense meadows. As some Chara species are capable of overwintering, the nutrient storage in plant biomass may extend beyond the growing season. Also, in natural systems the water level varies over time. In the autumn and winter high flow situations are common whereas low flow condition dominates during the summer. Hence, varying water level according to natural flow conditions was included in the set-up. In Albäcken 4 different systems was tested (all replicated three times) to see if there would be a difference in growth and nutrient retention: reed (permanent water level and flow) reed and submerged vegetation (fluctuating water level and flow) reed (fluctuating water level), reed and submerged vegetation (fluctuating water level) These production wetlands were designed to meet the following requirements: 1) easy harvesting from land to avoid the risk of destroying the rhizomes of the plants 2) high nutrient retention and biomass yield 3) high potential for biodiversity 4) natural flow conditions Each experiment consists of a 0,5-1m wide deeper groove and a flood plain, see Figure 6. The aim was to investigate what kind of construction was more efficient in terms of nutrient retention and biomass production to provide the duplicated function. Both wetland sites were constructed and the wetland plants were planted during the summer of 2014, see Figure 6 and Figure 7. 17

18 Figure 6. Production wetland in Albäcken with flood plain. Figure 1 Production wetland being built on municipal land 18

19 Control program Tullstorp The water supply was unstable during the first six months after construction and hence the plant establishments were negatively affected. The vegetation in the production wetland was poorly developed in July-15 (see Figure 8) and the biomass comparable to the biomass of the unplanted traditional wetland left as a control. However, in a couple of years the vegetation in the production wetland should be well established and the wetland thereby suitable to perform testharvesting with traditional agricultural machinery. Figure 2. The production wetland in the catchment area of Tullstorpsån in July The vegetation, planted in July 2014, is poorly developed Control program Albäcken Water samples has been collected from the reservoir and the 12 production wetlands once a month since July The samples are analysed for: Oxygen (dissolved and saturation), ph, Alkalinity, Conductivity, Phosphate, Total Phosphorous, Nitrate + Nitrite, Total Nitrogen, Total Organic Carbon and Colour. To be able to measure nutrients trapped in the sediment the uppermost centimetres of the sediment in each of the 12 production wetlands were sampled in July 2014 and in July Benthic invertebrates was sampled and analyzed twice; October 2014 and April Phytoplankton and zooplankton was sampled in each of the production wetlands in the end of August 2014 and in the beginning of June Harvesting of the biomass took place in the middle of July Optimal harvesting is late summer/beginning of autumn before leaves reach senescence and nutrients are relocated to other plant parts, however in order to get some results before the project ends harvesting took place earlier. In addition, a total of approximately 100 g (wet weight) leaves and the uppermost part of the stems from three plants growing on the bench in each experimental wetland were collected and mixed for analysis of nutrients (total phosphorous(tot-p), total nitrogen (tot-n), ammonia (NH4-N)) and chemical elements (iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), sulphur (S), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), silicon (Si)). 19

20 Figure 9 Production wetland in Albäcken Figure 10. Study visit at production wetlands in Albäcken. In the background is the wetland functioning as a water reservoir. 20

21 In terms of replicability a production wetland, as those demonstrated in this project, can be established wherever it is suitable to establish a conventional wetland as long as the harvesting method are adapted. However the concept that was developed in Bucefalos is especially suitable in connection to areas that previously has been drained to regulate water levels. The concept works best if the wetland is established along the drainage ditches in order to make the harvesting easier and not to compete with the agricultural land more than necessary. Nevertheless the concept could be adapted in order to fit in to the environment it is to be placed in. Wetlands are one of the most endangered environments in the world. The establishment of production wetlands would in itself increase the areal of wetlands and bring not only the benefits of producing a biomass that could become a renewable energy source but also bring the other benefits associated with conventional wetlands such as biodiversity, mitigation of flooding and recreational values. Results The experimental setup next to Albäcken has functioned without any major problems. Sampling as well as vegetation establishment have worked according to the plan. However, the manipulation of water level didn t start until October 2014 when the water reservoir wetland had reached a water storage capacity enough to support the production wetlands with a continuous water supply. Studies have found a biomass production in fully developed wetland of around kgdw/ha of common reed whereas the production in this project differed between kgdw/ha. In a year or two, when the vegetation has expanded to its full potential, a minimum of kgdw/ha is to be expected in the channel, somewhat less at the bench. It is too early to draw any conclusions regarding nutrient retention and biodiversity. It is important to continue analysis of both water chemistry and biodiversity for a couple of years, when the system is more stable and after a complete harvest of the reed, in order to confirm the results in these parameters. The two-stage ditch design may also be attractive to construct as isolated units, e.g. not in connection with streams. Such a construction should then have longer water retention time in order to increase the nutrient retention capacity of the wetland. The content of metals and other elements in the biomass produced in the project were all below threshold for using as fertilizers on agricultural land, hence the organic waste from using reed for biogas production may be used in this purpose. This action has resulted in a technical report that is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T8. B3.3 Artificial algae cultivation as a volume-efficient water cleaning and energy source The main task of action B3.3 is to use artificial algae cultivation as a volume-efficient water cleaning and energy source. The initial idea was to use the algae cultivation site in close conjunction with the production wetlands in action B3.2 but experience from a previous project lead by the municipality of Trelleborg has shown that an algae cultivation site will be most effective in a much more nutrient rich water stream, like wastewater. Hence this resulted in the conclusion to place the algae facility in conjunction with a wastewater (WW) treatment plant, 21

22 which is also located near the projects biogas plant (constructed within action B4.1). As a consequence, the chosen site now better fulfil the the B3.3 volume-efficient water cleaning and also the use of generated algae biomass as an energy source. This change in method was preliminary approved in the EC letter of November Moreover, the proximity of the algae site to the biogas plant and wastewater plant produces significant synergy effects. For example, the maximum algae growths in artificial cultivation sites are commonly limited by the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere. Algae therefore consequently benefits by extra CO 2 supply. Such CO 2 is generated when biogas is burned. The aim is thus to feed the algae with the CO 2 from the project s biogas plant. When the algae are subsequently harvested it can be used as a substrate in the biogas plant, allowing the closing of the carbon cycle. Another synergy effect is that this operation will make the algae more efficient nutrient retainers per volume, which corresponds well to the task of B3.3. For a description of the algae site and the synergies with biogas and wastewater see Figure 11. Algae from beaches City of Trelleborg CO 2 Wastewater Biogas Closing the carbon loop Algae Algae harvest Bioenergy Biofertilizer Clean water Figure 11. The conceptual model of combining the algae cultivation site with the biogas plant and municipal waste water treatment. Problems (algae on beaches, nutrients in wastewater and CO2 emissions) are turned into valuable resources (bioenergy, biofertilizer and clean water). Both the nutrient and the carbon loops are closed and synergies between facilities optimize efficiency of the inherent processes. The procured company Norups Gård Bioraff AB was responsible for constructing, running and testing the facility and its capacity. The algae cultivation site was established, initial operation was evaluated, the cultivation methods were fined tuned, and an analysis program for the evaluation of the process was put in place. The evaluation program was divided into three test periods. During the first test period five photobioreactors were evaluated, two were chosen for further evaluation in the second test period, see Figure

23 A clarifier system located prior to the algae cultivation systems makes the incoming WW transparent enough for the algae to grow in. Figure 13 displays the principles of the system. Natural light conditions during winter have made necessary the implementation of an artificial light source. A new LED lighting system was developed to reduce the energy input per amount of light generated. The LEDs conform well to the light required by algae photosynthesis, consequently reducing the energy input compared to conventional lighting. The lighting systems has been evaluated during winter conditions 2013/2014 resulting in acceptable algal growth and nutrient retention. Figure 12. The two bioreactors chosen for further evaluation in the second test period: the raceway (left) and the glass column (right). In the third test period the raceway alone was used for evaluation and the glass column was used as a back-up system. Figure 13. The clarifier system is based on biological decomposition of organic matter. The function is similar to a three chamber sludge well, but bearer material is adding surface for the microorganisms to grow on, enhancing the efficiency of the clarifier system. Results Nutrient removal Phosphorus and nitrogen are the two main nutrients responsible for eutrophication of coastal waters around Sweden. Removal efficiencies in the artificial algae cultivation site showed above 90% phosphorus removal and above 60 % of inorganic nitrogen removal. 23

24 Biomass production Microalgae biomass produced reached 22 g dry mass per m 2 per day and biomass concentrations of close to 0,5g dry weight per liter in raceway. More than 1 gram dry mass per liter was achieved in the vertical bubble column. Energy production/harvest Harvest tests have been made and part of this harvest was used to evaluate algae as an energy source. A decanter centrifuge from Alfa Laval was tested for harvesting the algae from the water, and performed well in terms of water color after separation (no green color). However, a more gentle separation method probably needs to precede the decanter centrifuge in order to avoid pressing the nutrient from the algae mass back into the water during harvest. An additional harvesting method was tested, by letting the harvester water and algae run through a vacuum filter cloth. A correctly tuned vacuum filter could be combined with a decanter centrifuge in order to receive an effective separation without consuming too much energy. Figure 14 displays photographs of tested harvest methods. Figure 14. Harvest methods. The decanter centrifuge from Alfa Laval and the vacuum filter cloth. Thick algae pasta can be produced with the decanter centrifuge. Biogas potential tests show that 180 liters of methane per kg algae can be extracted thus making the algae interesting as a supplementary feedstock for the full scale biogas plant. For a small wastewater treatment plant like the one at Smygehamn, with a phosphorus flow of 14 kg/day it would be possible to produce 210 kwh methane from March to September, with a cultivation space of 7 ha (and a biogas exchange of 180 liters methane per kg algae). The technical report on microalgae cultivation is available on the project website and attached to this report as Annex T9. B3.4 Stakeholder assessments to enhance the upscaling of the methods A first stakeholder workshop was held on March with representatives from local initiatives such as The Tullstorpså-project, 2 consultant firms focusing on nature conservations and representatives from Trelleborg municipality. Since the methods for designing and constructing the wetlands are site specific the two wetlands in the project were discussed on the basis of a report for best methods produced by Trelleborg municipality in a previous project. Their design, construction and also different choices for planting were evaluated as well as the plans for the control program and future business opportunities. 24

25 Excursions with landowners along waterways were an efficient way to educate the participants. The aim with the excursions was to increase the knowledge and to increase the interest for the natural value connected to waterways and their surroundings. The excursions gave an opportunity to conduct a dialogue about sustainable farming with respect to the valuable water ecosystems. The excursions also gave an opportunity to discuss what actions are suitable/ possible in the area. As a first step, to gather information about landowner interest in creating wetlands, a letter was sent to all landowners and stakeholders with property along the stream Albäcken and the stream Ståstorpsån. In the letter landowners were informed about the project and encouraged to contact the project leader if they were interested in free guidance in this matter. Also, landowners were invited to a course, offered at two different occasions, about wetlands in agricultural area. Also, a number of landowners were visited by the project team in person and informed about specific possibilities on their land. Fifteen landowners participated in the course. At the course the participants, besides getting information about wetland nutrient cycling, wetland functioning etc. also got detailed information about the current state of Albäcken and Ståstorpsån and what needs to be done in order to improve the stream ecosystem and decrease the nutrient outflow to the Baltic sea. In discussions with the participants they expressed a great anxiety about the repeated floods in the area following heavy rain. Landowners were taught about how change in land use has resulted in the changed water managing capacity of the land and how wetlands can buffer in these situations. Three landowners expressed immediate interest of creating a wetland on their property, and on two of these properties wetlands are now in the planning state. Two excursions along the stream Albäcken were arranged with a total of 18 participants. During the walk along Albäcken participants were informed about the effects of agricultural land on aquatic ecosystems. Also, information of actions that can be taken to decrease the negative impact was given. For example, how to decrease the negative impact by planting trees on the stream bank to prevent erosion and so on. Visiting the site with the production wetlands from action B3.2 was a part of the excursion and the participants were informed about construction, ecology in the wetlands, nutrient retention and the possibilities of using the wetlands for sustainable energy production. The chairman of the drainage company along with most of the participants found the idea of construction two-stage ditches for production of biomass highly interesting. Though, they stressed the need for clear guidelines from planting to harvesting to arrangements with purchaser before any actions would be considered. A summary report from this activity is included in the technical report from Action B3.2, available on the website and attached to this report as Annex T8. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project An efficient wetland design for sust. energy prod is identified and tested Cultivation method for algae for energy prod identified and verified Wetland areas established The algae farms established The wetlands were established in 2014 The microalgae cultivation site Yes Yes 25

26 by tests At least 5 municipalities are inspired to establish wetlands/ algae cultivation with a dual purpose At least 2 european actors show interest in establishing wetlands /algae cultivation Number of workshops performed Number of visitors at the demonstration sites was established in 2013 One workshop and two excursions have been organized. Participating municipalities, except Malmö and Trelleborg have been Kävlinge, Lomma, Halmstad, Västervik and Lund. 29 study visits with a total of 530 participants have been organized at the microalgae, biogas facility and wetland sites. Delegations from Finland, Poland, Namibia and the Baltic countries have visited the demonstrations sites. Yes Yes 26

27 Action B4, Approaches to sustainable utilization of aquatic biomass. (September August ) B4.1 Producing biogas from aquatic substrates Results from previous projects both in Trelleborg and other places shows that pretreatment of beach cast algae and other aquatic biomasses is a costly and energy consuming process. Due to the content of sand in collected algae, and the fact that algae must be extensively processed to be used in a stirred biogas reactor, a dry fermentation process is a better option. Based on results and experiences gained in previous projects it was decided to use a two-step or a dry fermentation process for the biogas production in Smyge, Trelleborg and limit the pre-treatment to dewatering and lowering ph. The existing biogas chamber at Smyge waste water treatment plant is a one-step stirred reactor, thus building a new facility for production of biogas from aquatic substrates was a better option. This was a more effective solution both regarding economical and biogas production terms. After a procurement process Norups Gård Bioraff AB was contracted to build and operate the full scale fermentation facility. The building permit was approved by the municipal board but it was appealed which delayed the construction to the beginning of In April the hydrolyze chambers (150 m 3 each) was filled with algae from the neighboring marina in Smyge. The facility was inaugurated on the 13 th of May Alongside the large scale production facility a smaller pilot plant has been used to perform fermentation tests of different substrates. Here, tests on beach cast algae and wetland plants (such as reeds) were conducted. Within this action, a full scale production chain has been demonstrated and performed during the project period: algae collection, transport, analysis, biogas process and recycling of nutrients. Below is a description of the process in detail. Collection of algae Algae (seaweed) has during the project period been collected from two locations in Trelleborg: the marina in Smyge and Dalabadet; a public beach which is maintained by the municipality during the summer season and regularly cleaned from algae. Smyge The marina is emptied from algae in the spring to avoid problems with decaying algae in the summer, and to facilitate for the boats to sail in and out of the marina, see Figure 15. In April m 3 of algae was collected from the marina, see Figure 16. A portion of the algae was used in the biogas plant. 27

28 Figure 15. Algae in Smyge marina. In winter (left) and decaying in the summer (right) Figure 16. Collection of algae in Smyge marina. The algae was stored and transported in containers. Dalabadet The algae from Dalabadet were collected with the ordinary beach cleaning equipment in Trelleborg, a tractor with a front loader. The algae collected with the purpose of being used in the biogas reactor needed to be collected from the upper layers of the beach cast algae and put aside in separate piles to minimize the sand content, see Figure 17. The beach can then be cleaned more carefully for recreational purposes. Figure 17. Algae collected at Dalabadet 28

29 Analysis and transportation Samples were taken from the collected algae and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The algae were analyzed regarding nutrient- and Cadmium content. A low Cd-concentration was crucial, since the algae after the fermentation process was used to fertilize arable land. If the Cadmium content exceeded 1 mg Cd/ kg dry substance, the algae was not used, alternatively mixed with beets and straw to dilute the Cd-concentration. Table 1 shows that the Cd-content often exceeded the limit of 1 mg/kg DS why several collected algae batches could not be used. Analysis Unit Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Date Alga e Alga e Alga e Beet tops Dry substance % 37,1 16,1 13,4 13,8 85,3 15,5 17,4 17,5 18,3 14,2 14, ,8 25,4 Total nitrogen kg/ton 5,9 4,5 3,2 3,6 12,1 4,8 4,6 4 2,9 5 3,9 5,1 5,34 2,87 Ammonium nitrogen kg/ton 0,7 0,4 0,3 0,4 1,5 0,6 0,5 0,5 0,4 0,6 0,8 0,6 1 0,5 Phosphorous kg/ton 0,22 0,19 0,17 0,17 2 0,17 0,17 0,17 0,19 0,18 0,23 0,38 0,18 0,42 Potassium kg/ton 0,7 0,38 1, ,6 0,58 0,6 0,62 0,44 2,2 0,97 1,1 3,9 Magnesium kg/ton 1,2 0,78 0,9 0,96 1,4 1,1 1 1,1 1,5 1 0,89 1,1 0,52 0,93 Sodium kg/ton 3,2 2,9 3,8 3,9 0,55 3,6 3,4 3,6 2 2,5 3,7 2,2 1,1 2,5 Sulphur kg/ton 5,7 3,2 3,1 3,9 4,2 1,1 6,6 6,1 5,2 6,6 4,9 0,44 3,5 2,9 Ash % 19,5 2,9 C/N 15 Cadmium mg/kg 0,34 0,27 0,19 0,23 0,33 <0,7 0,25 0,23 0,23 0,16 0,33 <0,1 0,35 0,27 mg/kg Cadmium DS 0,92 1,68 1,42 1,67 1,61 1,32 1,31 0,87 2,32 0,67 0,91 Table 1. Results from substrate analysis. Red cell indicates batches exceeding the 1mg/kg DS limit for Cadmium. Alga e Resid uals I took about 3-4 days to get the results from the analysis, and during that time the algae was naturally dewatered in the storing piles by the beach when the algae was collected there, and at a waste disposal when the algae was collected in the marina. When the Cd-level was too high, the algae was left at the beach and spread out after the summer season, thus ending up in the sea again. Dalabadet, where the algae was collected is situated about 15 km from the biogas plant, and the biomass was transported in containers from the beach to the plant. Alga e Figure 18. Transportation of algae in containers. 29

30 Plant start-up and launch of the facility After a procurement process Norups Gård Bioraff AB was contracted to build and operate the full scale biogas plant. The building permit was approved by the municipal board but it was appealed by a neighbor which delayed the construction to the beginning of On March 31, 2014, 100 m 3 of algae was added into hydrolysis well 1, see Figure 19, and sampling of CH4, CO2 and O2 started on 2 May The facility was inaugurated on the 13 th of May FIgure 19. The hydrolysis well is filled for the first time, March On the 15 th of May the measuring of the H2S content in the biogas started. The plant was started on May 22 when the water in the hydrolysis wells was internally pumped around manually to lower the ph in the hydrolysis step. 30 m 3 of inoculum from an established biogas process was added to the methane filters and circulation pumping and heating began. During the start-up phase, the methane filters were fed with whey/glycerol/vinegar to establish a biofilm on the column packings. After about 2 weeks the temperature in the methane filters had reached 38 degrees C and the filters had a sequence controlled circulation pumping. The establishment of biofilm takes 1-4 months. The water salinity prolongs the establishment of biofilm compared to a freshwater process. The salinity of the active liquid is about 1.5%. To reduce odour problems oxygen is released into the hydrolysis well to establish a layer of sulphur reducing bacteria thus reducing the sulphur smell from the plant. The biogas plant and process Figure 20 shows a schematic plan of the biogas facility. It consists of a receiving plate (1) with asphalt coating and a collecting well for safe disposal of possible run-off liquid from the stored algae. The algae are covered with silage plastics during storage. The algae are added into the two hydrolysis wells (2) with associated pumping wells (3). The algae are soaked and the water is circulating in the hydrolysis wells and the pumping wells. Water becomes a carrier of the organic matter. The hydrolysis wells and the pumping wells act as communicating vessels to submerge the algae completely and avoid methane production in the hydrolysis. The hydrolysis wells and the buffer well (4) are 150 m 3 each. The buffer well is an extra storage of algae and water. The fluid which has circulated in the hydrolysis well is led in buried pipelines to one of the two methane filters (5). The methane filters consist of container tanks, 25 m 3 each, with heating system, and are filled with column packings to increase the possible active surface for the methane producing micro-organisms. The biogas produced in the methane filters is distributed via buried fuel lines to the gas layer (6) consisting of a container with a gas balloon, and then to 30

31 the technology building (7) where the gas is burned. The heat in the form of hot water is used internally in the system and is distributed to the neighbouring waste water treatment plant. Air is drawn from the hydrolysis wells to the biological filters (8) which consist of bark and wood chips to reduce odour problems and the hydrogen sulphide content of the gas. At the biological filters measuring equipment monitor the methane concentration to prevent emission of methane. Figure 20. Schematic plan of the biogas plant Running of the biogas plant 2014 On the 31th of March the first round of algae was delivered while the plant was still under construction. The algae were stored in the hydrolysis well until the process started. Since only one well at the time is used, the second well is used to store the algae, while other biomasses (hay and straw) was stored at the receiving plate. When the system was started in early June, a methane content of about 40%, but with extremely low gas production, was received during a few weeks. In late July biogas with reasonably good values was obtained (methane 62%, CO2 30%, 0.2% oxygen and hydrogen sulphide concentrations above 2000 ppm). The biofilter managed to ensure odour reduction and methane production was close to 0 in the biofilter. Unfortunately, the circulated pumping could not be maintained during the month of August which led to a decline in the biological activity in the methane filters. On the 22th of September new algae was delivered to the plant. However, the analysis noted relatively high cadmium content. Since the cadmium concentration increases proportionally during decomposition the algae was mixed with straw and hay to build the structure and balance the cadmium content. The slightly later time of the year, combined with a late delivery of algae contributed to a relatively long upstart phase to get the methane in the new substrate. In late December, the biological process was in a stable position, with the right ratio of hydrolysis and methane filters, which ensures that there will be no methane production in the hydrolysis. Throughout this period, emissions through the biofilter were low (methane 0.3%, H2S below 20 ppm). 31

32 On the 6 th of November hydrolysis well 1 was emptied of algae residuals, a sample was sent to analysis and the residual material was transported to farmers to be used as fertilizer in the spring of The analysis gave a Cd-level of 0,91 mg/kg DS (dry substance), which is acceptable but fairly high. The well was charged with new algae and straw, hay, sugar beets and ensiled beet tops for co-fermentation The process from the third batch of algae was launched on the 9 th of January and already on the 20 th of January it reached a production of cubic meters of gas/day, which shows that the substrate quality is crucial for biogas production. Gas production was then relatively "high" until April's input when the gas began to subside, see Figure 21. PH- lowering additive in form of vinegar was added during the months with slightly higher gas production (Jan-March). When gas production decreased during April no more vinegar was added, since that could give misleading results mainly showing the gas production from the vinegar. In May, a new load of algae from the marina in Smyge was planned to be added, but the sand and stone content was too high and the biomass was fairly decomposed resulting in that the inlay was cancelled. 25 Gas production cubic meters raw gas jan 28 jan 04 feb 11 feb 18 feb 25 feb 04 mar 11 mar 18 mar 25 mar 01 apr 08 apr 15 apr 22 apr 29 apr 06 maj 13 maj 20 maj 27 maj Figure 21. Gas production in The dip in February is due to uncertainty at the start of the burner/change of flow meters. Gas potential in beach cast algae The gas potential of algae is primarily depending on how fresh the algae is and to some extent on the composition of the species. Gas potential of seaweed varies between about l CH4/kg VS. During the project gas production of the substrate used has been about 85 l CH4/kg VS. Application of digestate The digestate or residuals from the process was analyzed for nutrient and Cd-content. Since only algae with a low Cd-content was used in the process, all batches of digested material, could be, and was, used as fertilizer on agricultural land in the municipality. 32

33 Figure 22. Top left: Fermentation residuals. Top right: emptying the hydrolysis wells from fermented algae. Bottom left and right: the residuals are transported to a farm for storing until spread on fields as bio fertilizer. Continuation after the projects period The municipality of Trelleborg is investigating how the future of the biogas facility will look like. There are too different alternatives in particular that are being looked in to. One is that the technical department in Trelleborg takes over the maintenance and running of the facility. They are the department responsible for cleaning the beaches from algae and also to take care of the waste management in the municipality so it would fit in the their work area. The second alternative is that the Jordberga biogas plant takes over the biogas facility. The Jordberga plant is the largest of its kind in Scandinavia and is run by a number of private companies and use mainly agricultural crops. They have an upgrading facility in place and therefore the means of putting the produced biogas out on the regional gas grid. This would mean to relocate the biogas facility to their site, something that is possible thanks to the facility being container based and completely mobile. Parallel to these discussions the issue of funding is being discussed internally within the municipality. Pilot plant results During 2013 and 2014 a pilot biogas plant was used to compensate for the full scale biogas plant not yet being built. The pilot plant was located at the treatment plant in Smyge and consisted of two so-called dry hydrolysis/percolation piles with a system to soak the substrate. The water that passed through the piles was collected in a well and transported to a balance tank. Methane was produced from the liquid in a reactor filled with column packings. The system was a two-step 33

34 digestion with a hydrolysis step and methane filters. The hydrolysis step consists of two piles á 20 tonnes where the liquid is percolated and then pumped to the methane filter for extraction of biogas. In 2013 two batches were tested, the first batch in February- May, see Figure 23, and the other 25 September onwards. Gas production ph Hydrolysis 8,5 8 7,5 7 6,5 6 5,5 5 4,5 4 3,5 06 feb 13 feb 20 feb 27 feb 06 mar 13 mar 20 mar 27 mar 03 apr 10 apr 17 apr 24 apr 01 maj 08 maj 15 maj 06 feb 13 feb 20 feb 27 feb 06 mar 13 mar 20 mar 27 mar 03 apr Gas, kbm 10 apr 17 apr 24 apr 01 maj 08 maj 15 maj Datum PIX Acetum Glycerol Glycerol ph Date Figure 23. Gas production from the first batch in the pilot plant. During the summer there were several technical problems, among others lightning struck the PLC and heat control, which meant that the process needed to be restarted during September/October. The conclusions drawn after 2013 was; - The function of the percolation pipes need to be completed to avoid the dry pockets. When upscaling to full scale the plant needs to have wet hydrolysis wells to strengthen the function. - The hydrogen sulphide problem is significant in several ways; the health and safety issue, impact on the steering system and electronics as well as the impact of materials in contact with the substrate in general (eg stainless steel). In the full scale plant, the experience drawn from the 34

35 pilot plant led to a separate treatment of sulphide to avoid technical and health problems. The first batch was a co-digestion of straw and wetland grasses. The trial demonstrated that wetland grass can be very difficult to digest if it is not pretreated by chipping. The wetland grass did not give a high gas production, and there was no spontaneous hydrolysis. It was only when a processing aid (PIX, glycerol or vinegar) was added that the ratio between the hydrolysis step and the methane step was correct and the gas production increased. When the piles of biomass were emptied, the wetland grass did not appear to have been degraded significantly. Between January 15 and February 3 the control system was out of operation, which meant that very few measurements are available from this period. In the second half of March, the gas production was very low and the oxygen level high. This was due to a verification of the biofilm which requested that the dome cover was opened. During 2014 two more batches were tested, batch 1 May-September and batch 2 September- December, see Figure 24. The first batch was a combination of algae and straw, with an adding of microalgae to the water phase. The second batch was a mix of algae, hay and straw. Figure 24. Gas production from the two batches in the pilot plant in Summary full scale production chain The construction of the biogas plant was delayed due to legal processes when the building permit was appealed. Thus the plant was only operating for a little over a year, and more time would be needed to make a fully functioning logistic chain. The availability of algae varies a lot, and a larger uptake area would be beneficial. The age and structure of the beach cast algae is crucial for the gas production. The substrate used in the full scale plant 2015 was of relatively poor quality from a gas production point of view, as it was partly decomposed already at admission. During 2014 and 2015 a correct ratio between the hydrolysis and methane filters has been maintained, providing the basis for a good gas production. No methane production has occurred in the hydrolysis. The soaking of the hydrolysis worked well and no "air pockets" have been identified when emptying the wells after digestion. The plant has operated without problems and the gas production has been about 85 l CH4/kg VS. The gas production could probably be higher with algae of a higher quality. There would be more algae to choose from if the content of Cadmium in the beach cast algae had been lower, 35

36 since several batches of collected algae were rejected in order to be able to return the nutrients to the agriculture. The residuals from the process were used as bio fertilizer on arable land. This action has resulted in a technical report that is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T10. B4.2 Urban biorefinery using micro algaes as catalysts An investigation of the potential for a biorefinery using microalgae in Malmö was made during the fall of The investigation focused on growing microalgae in municipal sewage treatment plants and to use the produced biomass for biogas production. Since Trelleborg municipality has experience with microalgae cultivation, primarily from actions in this project, it was decided to form a working group out of staff from both Malmö and Trelleborg. Through interviews and desktop studies, the working group concluded in a potentiality report that there is a potential for using microalgae as a way of treating sewage water on a large scale in Malmö. Suitable locations in the city, close to the sewage treatment plants, have been identified and potential sources of tempered water needed for the microalgae growing process have been identified. The report was finished and published on the project website in December The report is attached to this report as Annex T11. B4.3 Exploring the utilization of harvested mussels previously used as biological filters To determine the mussels potential as a biogas substrate a small lab scale test was performed by Lund University during the spring of Mussels from the Öresund Bridge were used in the analysis. To verify the results from this small study, the project team decided perform a second, larger analysis. Two 35 litres containers were started with a reference substrate (pig manure) and were then fed with mussels collected from the Öresund Bridge. During the experiment the design had to be adjusted since high levels of hydrogen sulphide was inhibiting the process. PIX (poly iron chloride) was then added which reduced the hydrogen sulphur values and gave a more effective process and a higher gas production. The average value of gas in the process was 15,47 l/d. This second analysis was performed by Norups Gård Bioraff AB during the summer of Another issue that was addressed in the trials was the build-up of mussel shells. In the small containers used in these to analyses it didn t cause any problems and it didn t affect any of the pipes or connections since the shells sedimented to the bottom of the tanks. The shells could however constitute a problem in a full-scale process since they take up space from usable substrates and hence reduces the effectiveness of the gas-production-chamber. The project team concluded that mussels can be used as a substrate for biogas production but at a very high cost. The use of living organisms for fermentation also causes ethical concerns that in relation to the high cost make this approach to utilizing the mussels questionable. Another potential use of the mussels could be as a raw material for fodder production which was evaluated through literature studies and by comparing the mussels content to set limits for different kinds of environmental pollutants. Full spectrum analyses of heavy metals and 36

37 environmental toxins of the cultivated mussels were ordered from ALS Scandinavia AB, a laboratory specialized for this kind of analyses. In general the levels of pollutants in the mussels were low but there were some uncertainties, which is why more analysis needs to be carried out. This action has resulted in a technical report that is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T12. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project A full scale demonstration regarding pretreatment technology and storing Full production chain demonstrations completed A full production chain has been demonstrated within the project Yes At least 3 delegations from Europe have visited the biogas plant and the full production chain demonstrations A clearer picture of possibilities of an urban bio-refinery system A full scale demonstration of biogas prod using aquatic substrates Number of visitors and delegations Interviews performed A full scale facility for biogas prod of aquatic substrates 29 study visits with a total of 530 participants have been organized at the microalgae, biogas facility and wetland sites. Delegations from Finland, Poland, Namibia and the Baltic countries have visited the demonstrations sites. 4 interviews were conducted within the urban biorefinery study A full scale biogas facility specifically designed for aquatic substrates has been established within the project. Yes Yes Yes 37

38 Action B5, Closing the loop -Making use of rest products (October Mach ) Algae and wetland plants used for the biogas plant was analyzed regarding the content of cadmium (CD). In order to be able to use the residuals as fertilizer on arable land, biomassbatches with a Cd-content above 1 mg/kg TS were not collected or used. To extract the Cd from the large amounts of biomasses is regarded too costly with the technology available. Tests to extract Cd from the algae in the Smyge plant with adsorbents are however being performed at Lund University (financed by another project). In this project the residuals has been returned to agricultural land hence the nutrients in the aquatic substrate has been put in circulation, closing the loop. The entrepreneur responsible for the construction and operation of the biogas facility, Norups Gård Bioraff AB, was also contracted to analyze the content of cadmium, phosphorous and nitrogen in the residuals. This was done as continuous survey throughout the project. To further ensure that the fermentation residues could be used as biofertilizers, the amounts of heavy metals and pesticides in the residues needed to be analyzed. A technical study was initiated investigating five aquactic substrates; beach cast algae, charophyceans, microalgae grown in wastewater, fish waste and reed. Beach cast algae, charophyceans and reed were collected from the surroundings of Trelleborg. Microalgae were harvested from the algae bioreactors at Smygehamn wastewater treatment plant. Fish waste (cod) was received from Simrishamn. The substrates were treated at Biomil AB and the residues were analyzed by ALcontrol. Statistical verifications of the results were made using analysis of variance between the samples (ANOVA). The results indicate that none of the samples exceeded the SPCR 120 certification values for heavy metals and pesticides in biofertilizers. The only sample that gave measurement results over the detection value for pesticides was one out of three samples with fish waste residues, that measured 13 µg DDT-p,p/kg TS. This action has resulted in a technical report that is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T13. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project A set of results from the Number of The fermentation Yes analysis of fermentation analysis residues from 5 residues from cofermentation of various fermentation performed on different biomass mixes, that residues from substrates were gives an indication of the cofermentation analyzed (in 3 of replicates) for quality of the nutrients and the contents of various both nutrient and heavy metals. biomass mixes heavy metal/toxin A better picture of which quality aquatic fermentation residues holds Analyses completed content. Analyses of the fermentation residuals have been performed Yes 38

39 Better knowledge about and increased interest for utilization of aquatic biomass. Technical description delivered Technical reports on the subject have been delivered Yes 39

40 Action C.1 Monitoring the project's impact on the environment (September August ) During the initialization of the project a monitoring programme was constructed with a system of monitoring templates covering both environmental and financial aspects to be filled in and collected by the coordinator. One issue raised in the evaluation of our Inception Report was a lack of sufficient data reported in the original template. In response to this remark the templates were complemented with additional information and reporting points. Each action had staff responsible for all issues regarding that action, including reporting according to the monitoring programme, please see the organigramme in the administrative part for designated staff. The system with monitoring templates functioned well for the financial monitoring but since the environmental effects from primarily the demonstrations sites did not show until the final year of the project, not much was able to be reported. During the spring of 2015 an external consultant was tasked to analyse the different actions impact on the environment. The City of Malmö has a framework agreement for scientific evaluation of EU-projects with a consultant company called ÅF-Infrastructure AB (ÅF) which was used for this task as well as Action C.2. ÅF conducted an evaluation, based on desktop studies and interviews, of the project lasting effects based on the goals set out in the proposal. The main results of the evaluation study is that the project has achieved most of its goals and that the project has taken important and valuable steps towards showing that aquatic biomass has a potential as a source for renewable energy and fertilizers. The evaluation however also shows that as long as the price of fossil fuels and artificial fertilizers remain low, the use of excess aquatic biomass is not cost-effective. The evaluation report is available on the project website and attached to this report as Annex T14. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Monitoring and evaluation is achieved in a timely manner Regular reporting of data by participants to - Yes Completion of Achievement Report Malmö - The evaluation report is completed and available on the project website Yes 40

41 Action C.2 Socio-economic evaluation (October June ) During the spring of 2015 an external consultant was tasked to analyse the projects socioeconomic impact. The City of Malmö has a framework agreement for scientific evaluation of EU-projects with a consultant company called ÅF-Infrastructure AB (ÅF) which was used for this task as well as Action C.1. The evaluation was based on desktop studies and interview with key staff within the project as well as key stakeholders outside the partner organizations. The evaluation shows that the project has generated only a limited employment but that the techniques demonstrated within the project has a long-term potential for new side-line activities primarily for farmers and professional fishermen. It was also concluded that there is a potential in the production of high-value products as well as in export of technologies, practises and production systems that has been developed within the project. The socio-economic evaluation report is available on the project website as well as attached to this report as Annex T15. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Data gathering and interviews are achieved in a timely manner Completion of the socio-economic study Number of interviews performed Study completed 12 interviews were conducted within the study. The evaluation report is completed and available on the project website Yes Yes 41

42 Action E.4 Networking with other projects and platforms (September August ) The purpose of this action was to communicate the project results and share experiences with other projects, something that has instead been done within the different technical actions. For example, a large portion of the B1-action focused on networking with relevant actors in similar projects. As the need for this action was overestimated in the proposal the proposed deliverable of a Networking platform on the project website has not been necessary and also not completed. Subsequently there has not been a Final networking round table held. The networking plan was however incorporated in the overall project communications plan. As a consequence of the limited need for the action, very little personnel costs and no travel costs has been declared on this action. These costs have instead been declared on the technical action to which the visits have been related, as this was seen more appropriate. Some personnel costs has however been declared on the action by the municipality of Trelleborg. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project 1 networking plan for the particular project One networking community at the project website Documentation of the web-based networking roundtable meeting available in digital form on the project website Number of networking conferences visited Number of participants at the networking community at the website Number of distributed reports from the final roundtable discussions 38 networking conferences visited No networking community established on the project website No final roundtable discussion held Yes No No 42

43 5.2. Dissemination actions Objectives Goals with the projects communication The communication goals were to support the overall objectives within the project and to try to change the projects stakeholders conception of aquatic biomass. Instead of regarding aquatic biomass as a problem we wish to share a new point of view, where the aquatic biomass is regarded as a resource with great potential. Target groups The dissemination activities prioritized target groups has been municipalities, the Swedish agency for Marine and Water Management, Swedish Board of Agriculture and scientists studying our field of work. Communication message The communication message has varied with the target group. Some of the messages used has been: The need for reducing the outflow of nutrients to the Baltic Sea Find a use for the algae on the beaches New methods for renewable energy The value of clean shores and clean sea Overview per activity Action D1, Project website (September August ) The project website, was launched in February The website contains information about the project, contact information and reports & documentation. At the completion of this report, the number of individual hits on the website has been The website will be operational for at least 5 years after the projects end date. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Several target groups on local, regional and international levels reached with the information about this particular project Number of specific visitors at the website Number of contacts taken At the time of writing the project website has had specific visitors This is estimated to Yes 43

44 from website ca 50. The contacts has been about a request for further information, cooperation suggestions and invitations to seminars and conferences. Action D2, LIFE+ Information boards (September September ) Information boards have been erected at each of the demonstration sites. The boards describe the specific site, the project and the expected results. The LIFE+ logo appear on all the boards. Figure 25. Information board at the production wetland site in Tullstorp Since the mussel cultivation site is located meters off the coast of Malmö the information board was placed at the bicycle lane running along the beach. The bicycle lane and the surrounding fields is a popular recreational area in western Malmö. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project 44

45 Several target groups on local, regional and international levels reached with the information about this particular project Action D3, Laymans report Notice boards completed and erected - Yes (October August ) The Laymans report has been produced and provides information about the project objectives, its actions and its results as well as contact information. Unfortunately this action was not completed within the project period and therefore no costs for the work performed have been declared in the financial reporting. A copy of the Laymans report is attached to this report as Annex D1. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Several target groups on local, regional and international levels reached with the information about this particular project Layman's report completed The Laymans report has been completed Action D4, Development of the overall project communication strategy and other communication material (September August ) The communication and networking strategy has been developed and used by the project team throughout the project. Communication material produced in the project: Project website, Project Brochure (Rev 1) Project Brochure (Rev 2) Project Brochure in English Project Roll up (in English and Swedish) Thematic Brochures for different biogas substrates Project Posters for the final conference A thematic article about mussel cultivation was published in a magazine sent to residents in Malmö in 2015, the English version is attached to this report as Annex D3. Yes 45

46 In the running up for the main Swedish political forum in Almedalen in 2015, an article about how the City of Malmö utilizes marine resources was published in an online magazine. The article is attached as Annex D4. A copy of each of the thematic brochures is attached to this report as Annex D5-D7. Objective Indicator Measure Achieved by the end of project Several target groups on local, regional and international levels reached with the information about this particular project Communication plan completed Communication materials has been produced Number of distributed brochures/information material about the project Action D5, Study visits to the demonstration sites (April August ) The communication plan is completed A number of different types of communication material has been produced within the project A total of brochures has been distributed. At the end of the project, 29 study visits to the biogas, wetlands and algae cultivation sites in Trelleborg had been performed. The target groups has been varied; schools, researchers, officials, green tech companies, politicians and public from local, regional, national and international level. Study visits to Bucefalos sites in Trelleborg : 8 students from Trelleborgs high school, as part of a special study on biogas : 35 students from Water management program, Lund University : 2 politicians, representing the green party in the national and regional parliaments respectively : 12 persons from the Pure Biomass Project (Finland and Baltic countries) : 15 representatives from the green tech sector : 14 representatives from municipality of Lund : 2 persons from a clean tech company in Namibia : One representative from the Swedish board of agriculture : Delegation from environment, infrastructure etc assemblies, Kenya, 9 persons : 61 persons from the Swedish-Polish sustainable energy platform, study visit as part of a biogas conference in Ystad : 3 researchers from Lund s University, Bioprocess control. Yes 46

47 : 3 persons from Lund s University Biotechnology department : 13 participants; local representatives from political organizations in Trelleborg and Örebro municipalities : 15 participants from Region Skåne : 21 students from Lund University, Water management program : 9 participants from PRO (Swedish organization of pensioners) : 12 visitors from the county administrative board, different municipalities, Lund University, the church and HUT Skåne among others : 17 participants from PRO (Swedish organization of pensioners) : 35 participants from PRO (Swedish organization of pensioners) : Inauguration of the biogas plant. 40 persons participated in celebrations and guided tours. Participants from, among others, the Swedish Ministry of Environment, the County administrative board, different municipalities etc : 46 visitors from Lund University : 17 visitors from the public. The study tour was announced in the newspaper and held in the evening to attract the citizens of Trelleborg : 4 visitors from the agricultural university SLU Alnarp : Study visit arranged by Biogas Syd, the regional biogas organization. 23 visitors from different fields (mostly other municipalities) : 25 participants from NOVIA UAS, Vaasa, Finland : 60 participants from the BUCEFALOS final conference : 27 participants from Lund University, Water Management department : 29 participants from the agricultural high school Österport : 12 participants from Hvilans naturbruksgymnasium i Åkarp. Inauguration of Smyge biogas plant At the end of the project there has been 15 organized study visits to the mussel cultivation site, with a total of ca 350 participants. 47