Papers by Fredrik Gröndahl
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2012
Researchers have been exploring seaweed to reduce methane (CH4) emissions from livestock. This st... more Researchers have been exploring seaweed to reduce methane (CH4) emissions from livestock. This study aimed to investigate the potential of a red alga, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, as an alternative to mitigate CH4 emissions. B. hamifera, harvested from the West coast of Sweden, was used in an in vitro experiment using a fully automated gas production system. The experiment was a ran-domized complete block design consisting of a 48-h incubation that included a control (grass si-lage) and B. hamifera inclusions at 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% of grass silage OM mixed with buffered rumen fluid. Predicted in vivo CH4 production and total gas production were estimated by ap-plying a set of models to the gas production data and in vitro fermentation characteristics were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the inclusion of B. hamifera reduced (P = 0.01) predicted in vivo CH4 and total gas production, and total gas production linearly decreased (P = 0.03) with higher inclusion of B. hamifera. The molar proportion of propionate increased (P = 0.03) while isovalerate decreased (P = 0.04) with inclusion of B. hamifera. There was a tendency for increased (0.06 ≤ P ≤ 0.10) total volatile fatty acid production, as well as lower proportions of butyrate, isobutyrate, and 2-methylbutyrate. Chemical analyses revealed that B. hamifera had moderate concentrations of polyphenols. The iodine content was low and there was no detectable bromo-form, suggesting quality advantages over Asparagopsis taxiformis. Additionally, B. hamifera exhib-ited antioxidant activity comparable to the positive control Resveratrol. The findings of this study indicated that B. hamifera harvested from temperate waters in Sweden possesses capacity to mitigate CH4 in vitro.
Ocean & Coastal Management, May 1, 2023
Ophelia, Dec 1, 1983
Abstract The occurrence and growth of Aurelia aurita were studied by means of field sampling with... more Abstract The occurrence and growth of Aurelia aurita were studied by means of field sampling with Bongonets from October 1982 until June 1983. By means of a rig with settling plates, placed at 10 m depth close to the sampling area, the settling of planulae, strobilation of scyphistomae and the release of ephyrae were followed. The abundance of ephyrae during late autumn was very high compared to previous reports from e.g. the Baltic Sea and it exceeded the winter-spring abundance by two orders of magnitude. The scyphistomae were highly polydisc (>5 segments) during the autumn, monodisc during the winter and moderately polydisc (2–4 segments) during the spring. Parts of the autumn generation of ephyrae survived the winter. The possibility that this overwintering period was spent in diapause on or close to the bottom is discussed, as are environmental parameters such as temperature, light and availability of food.
Polish-Swedish Environmental Management Course : An Integrated Tool for Teaching Sustainable Deve... more Polish-Swedish Environmental Management Course : An Integrated Tool for Teaching Sustainable Development
The Relation of Industrial Ecology versus Natural Ecosystems and the Fundamental Principles of In... more The Relation of Industrial Ecology versus Natural Ecosystems and the Fundamental Principles of Industrial Ecology in Anthropogenic Systems
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Jun 1, 2021
Harvesting of marine biomass for various applications may generate ecosystem services that curren... more Harvesting of marine biomass for various applications may generate ecosystem services that currently lack a market price. One of these is nutrient uptake, which could counteract eutrophication. Market-based instruments (MBIs) such as cap & trade, compensatory mitigation, and payment for ecosystem services could help internalize such positive externalities. However, activities of the blue bioeconomy are diverse. We show that identifiable market characteristics can provide guidance concerning when to use these instruments and not. We find that the activities most suitable for MBIs are those that have positive environmental impacts but that are not (yet) financially viable. For activities that are already profitable on the biomass market, ensuring 'additionality' may be a significant problem for MBIs, especially for cap & trade systems or compensatory mitigation. We provide an overview of how some current biomass options fit into this framework and give suggestions on which biomass types to target.
Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 2014
Eutrophication combined with climate change has caused ephemeral filamentous macroalgae to increa... more Eutrophication combined with climate change has caused ephemeral filamentous macroalgae to increase and drifts of seaweed cover large areas of some Baltic Sea sites during summer. In ongoing projects, these mass occurrences of drifting filamentous macroalgae are being harvested to mitigate eutrophication, with preliminary results indicating considerable nutrient reduction potential. In the present study, an energy assessment was made of biogas production from the retrieved biomass for a Baltic Sea pilot case. Use of different indicators revealed a positive energy balance. The energy requirements corresponded to about 30%–40% of the energy content in the end products. The net energy gain was 530–800 MJ primary energy per ton wet weight of algae for small-scale and large-scale scenarios, where 6 000 and 13 000 tonnes dwt were harvested, respectively. However, the exergy efficiency differed from the energy efficiency, emphasising the importance of taking energy quality into consideration when evaluating energy systems. An uncertainty analysis indicated parametric uncertainty of about 25%–40%, which we consider to be acceptable given the generally high sensitivity of the indicators to changes in input data, allocation method, and system design. Overall, our evaluation indicated that biogas production may be a viable handling strategy for retrieved biomass, while harvesting other types of macroalgae than red filamentous species considered here may render a better energy balance due to higher methane yields.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Aug 1, 2018
Seaweed cultivation attracts growing interest and sustainability assessments from various perspec... more Seaweed cultivation attracts growing interest and sustainability assessments from various perspectives are needed. The paper presents a holistic qualitative assessment of ecosystem services affected by seaweed cultivation on the Swedish west coast. Results suggest that supporting, regulating and provisioning services are mainly positively or non-affected while some of the cultural services are likely negatively affected. The analysis opens for a discussion on the framing of seaweed cultivationis it a way of supplying ecosystem services and/or a way of generating valuable biomass? Exploring these framings further in local contexts may be valuable for identifying trade-offs and designing appropriate policies and development strategies. Many of the found impacts are likely generalizable in their character across sites and scales of cultivation, but for some services, including most of the supporting services, the character of impacts is likely to be site-specific and not generalizable.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 1988
Predation by polyps of the scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (L.) on planula larvae of their own species ... more Predation by polyps of the scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (L.) on planula larvae of their own species and on planulae of the scyphozoan Cjfanea capillata (L.) was studied in laboratory experiments. Transplant experiments in the field tested whether high densities of established A. aurita polyps could affect the recruitment of planktonic larvae and if Interactions between the polyps occur. More planula larvae of C. caplllata than of A. aurita were eaten by the polyps. The transplant experiments showed that dense covers of A. aurita polyps can affect recruitment of planulae and other planktonic larvae to hard-bottom communities. The most likely explanation is predation on the larvae. Interactions indicating competition for space or food between already established polyps and settling planulae were observed. Mortality among established polyps was greater at high than at low densities. Planula larvae of both A. aurita and C. capillata showed an increased rate of metamorphosis in the presence of A. aurita polyps in the laboratory experiments.
Ophelia, May 1, 1985
Abstract This paper describes field and laboratory observations on the relationship between a nud... more Abstract This paper describes field and laboratory observations on the relationship between a nudibranch gastropod (Coryphella verrucosa) and the development of populations of the scyphozoan Aurelia aurita. Predation tests showed that C. verrucosa ingests Aurelia polyps at a high rate (up to 200 polyps × d−1) and that this predation, which occurs mainly in October, is the chief factor responsible for the drastic decline in polyp abundance. In turn, it seems that in this area, C. verrucosa is totally dependant on Aurelia as a prey organism. It appears when the polyps begin to develop in August–September, matures in October, and declines in vitality and dies in November. The hypothesis is proposed that predation by C. verrucosa, and the survival of ephyrae during the winter period are the two main factors regulating the size of the Aurelia population the following summer.
World sustainability series, 2016
In this study we evaluate a project-based learning course called Applied Ecology, within the mast... more In this study we evaluate a project-based learning course called Applied Ecology, within the master program Sustainable Technology at the Division of Industrial Ecology, at KTH-Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The case study in the course is focused on the effects of a relatively large Bay, "Burgsviken", situated on the island Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea, that has changed due to the eutrophication in the area. The eutrophication of the Bay has initiated bottom up processes of discussion and engagement among the stakeholders in the area, for the enhancement of the water quality and biological services of the bay, that would in turn improve fishing, swimming, biological diversity and tourism. There are several stakeholders involved in the project: a local non-profit organisation, farmers, entrepreneurs, authorities, permanent and seasonal inhabitants, researchers and others. The course is evaluated according to the methodology of Brundiers and Wiek (2013). Student evaluations have been conducted and analysed in relation to four phases: (1) Orienting phase, formulation of research question. (2) Framing phase, methodology and study planning. (3) Research phase, field study and other examinations. (4) Implementation phase, communication of the results with different stakeholders. The Applied Ecology course shares many of the positive features of other PPBL courses in the sustainability field-namely that it focuses on a real sustainability problem and that the studentcentred learning approach and interactions between students and stakeholders make the student partnership in the project feel real, thus providing a practical insight of complex societal challenges.There are potential ways of improving all four phases of the course that were studied, but especially in the research phase and the implementation phase more efforts are needed. Feedback and reflections in the research phase could be improved by a clearer communication and to some extent changed pedagogical process through the course. All phases will be improved by increased communication before, during and after fieldwork between student, teachers and stakeholders.
Journal of Applied Phycology, Jun 10, 2017
A new approach to process Saccharina latissima algal biomass was developed using sodium citrate a... more A new approach to process Saccharina latissima algal biomass was developed using sodium citrate and a polyvalent cation-specific resin to sequentially extract the alginate into several usable fractions. The fractionation was performed in a cyclic manner, utilizing a stepwise removal of the native polyvalent ions present in the algae to isolate fractions of alginate with different solubility in the presence of these ions. Sodium citrate was used in different concentrations in the extraction solution to remove polyvalent cations to adjust the alginate liberation while AMBERLITE IRC718 resin was added to further remove these ions and regenerate the extraction solution. Alginate was recovered by acid precipitation and analyzed for its uronic acid composition and molecular weight, and the carbohydrate compositions of the insoluble and soluble parts of the algal biomass residue were determined. Finally, the fractionation method was assessed with a life cycle analysis to determine the energy and water efficiency as well as the greenhouse gas emissions and the results were compared to conventional alkaline extraction. The results indicate that the energy and water use as well as the emissions are considerably lower for the cyclic extraction in comparison with the conventional methods.
AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, Mar 1, 2009
Blooms of Cyanobacteria are a major concern during the summer period in the Baltic Sea Proper. Th... more Blooms of Cyanobacteria are a major concern during the summer period in the Baltic Sea Proper. The nitrogen-fixing Nodularia spumigena forms massive toxic blooms in the surface layers, with a concentration of biomass in the uppermost 1-m water layer. This pilot study describes the construction and test of a Nodularia collecting device during the summer of 2006. Oil booms were modified so that their dragging skirt was replaced with a water-permeable forming fabric used in the pulp and paper industry. The results showed that the modified oil booms worked and operated in an effective way when towed in the sea. Calculations showed that the collecting device used in this study has a theoretical capacity of cleaning 0.055 km2 (5.5 ha) of sea surface hr(-1), compared with the 6600 km2 of the Baltic Sea that were covered by Nodularia blooms during the summer of 2005. Future possibilities for Nodularia harvesting are discussed.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 1989
Laboratory and field experiments investigated whether the aggregated distribution of polyps of th... more Laboratory and field experiments investigated whether the aggregated distribution of polyps of the scyphozoan Aurelia aurita is a result of attraction by the established polyps on the planula larvae, i. e. gregarious recruitment. Planula larvae showed an increased rate of metamorphosis in the presence of established A. aun-fa polyps in laboratory experiments. Petri dish experiments showed that the planula larvae were attracted to established polyps. If the polyps were replaced by mimics (sandgrains), no such attraction was observed. Transplant experiments in the field tested whether different densities of 4-d old established A. aurita polyps could affect the recrmtment of conspecific planula larvae. A significant treatment effect was observed, viz. a positive correlahon to initial polyp density. Results are interpreted as suggesting that the planula larvae of AureLia aurita show gregarious behaviour. This is the first report of gregarious behavlour in the class Scyphozoa.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Mar 1, 1987
... Biol. Annu. Rev. Vol. 6 (1968), pp. 231247. H. Thiel, Untersuchungen über die Strobilisation... more ... Biol. Annu. Rev. Vol. 6 (1968), pp. 231247. H. Thiel, Untersuchungen über die Strobilisationvon Aurelia aurita Lam. an einer Population der Kieler Förde, Kiel. Meeresforsch. Vol. 18 (1962), pp. 198230. H. Thill, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Aurelia aurita (L.), Z. Wiss. Zool. Vol. ...
Burleigh Dodds series in agricultural science, Sep 14, 2021
Introduction 2 LCA methodology 3 Case study: the Seafarm life cycle assessment 4 Overall impacts ... more Introduction 2 LCA methodology 3 Case study: the Seafarm life cycle assessment 4 Overall impacts of the supply chain 5 Environmental impacts of a kelp juvenile hatchery 6 Environmental impacts of kelp cultivation 7 Environmental impacts of preservation: to dry, freeze or ensile? 8 Conclusion 9 Limitations of LCA 10 Future trends in seaweed-related LCA 11 Where to look for further information 12 References
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Papers by Fredrik Gröndahl