Open project meeting HaFF
The consortium, which covers a wide range of disciplines, met at IMTE Fraunhofer in Lübeck to share their practical experiences from the coastal plant project. Students and a representative of the project sponsor Jülich also accepted the invitation.
The representatives of the HaFF consortium were welcomed with great hospitality at Fraunhofer IMTE and given a tour of the recirculating aquaculture systems. Photo: Stefan Meyer
Project manager Martina Mühl from Coastal Research & Management organized the project meeting and presented the results of the halophyte plant-based wastewater treatment system. Photo: Stefan Meyer
Lübeck, May 12, 2022
Salt-tolerant coastal plants (known as halophytes) originate from nutrient-rich salt marsh areas. Their ability to create a suitable microclimate for beneficial soil bacteria even on moist saline soils and to bind large amounts of nutrients in biomass is being used creatively and in a variety of ways in the Blue Bioeconomy Project HaFF to relieve pressure on water bodies. What is particularly new here is the focus on saltwater (plants), as seawater is generally a more demanding habitat for cultivation than freshwater.
One of the HaFF subprojects purifies nutrient-rich wastewater produced by the “Förde Garnelen” shrimp aquaculture facility. This is done through multi-stage physical filtration in combination with a halophyte plant-based wastewater treatment system designed and monitored by environmental engineer Dr. Ulf Schauser (N.A.T.). Recently, there were difficulties with silting, which were resolved by changing the process water discharge. This year's second vegetation period will therefore be able to provide more reliable measurement results.
Another subproject is cleaning up the Darß-Zingst Bodden chain. Coordinated by the German Coastal Union (EUCC-D), regional materials are being tested to create attractive micro-cleaning modules for coastal regions—floating islands on which seaweed and other beach plants are both beautiful and useful. In addition to the cleaning effect, the resulting root system also serves as a hiding place and habitat for many ecologically important microorganisms.
Which plant communities are particularly suitable for stationary and mobile applications, which island models float and have a sufficient water supply, and what biological side effects there are were tested in the first phase of the BMBF-funded HaFF research project and compiled at the meeting. Sea kale (Crambe maritima), for example, is a valuable vegetable that has become rare and deserves a comeback, but it simply could not grow efficiently enough in the trials. Other species, such as glasswort (Salicornia sp.), sea club rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), and sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum), on the other hand, proved to be particularly suitable. These species are already approved as foodstuffs and are to be utilized in the future. The Fraunhofer IMTE in Lübeck is investigating exactly how. The highlight at the end was a smoothie tasting by the IMTE project partners led by food technologist Elke Böhme. Together with her colleagues, she created three healthy varieties made from fruit with halophyte additives and served them to almost 30 test subjects, who also filled out feedback forms.
Dr. Ulf Schauser from N.A.T. explains the functioning and pitfalls of plant-based sewage treatment systems with appropriate illustrative material.
Prof. Dr. Norbert Reintjes from Lübeck Technical University encouraged his students in attendance to get in touch with the innovation space. In the background: Martin Brassel from project partner Hanffaser Uckermark. Photo: Nadine Sydow
The smoothie tasting with halophytes was a delicious highlight at the end of the meeting. Photo: Martina Mühl