Deliverable A1 : Study of the current situation of the management of algae and seaweed deposition

70 Pages·2014·3.58 MB·English

LIFE11 ENV/E/000600 Deliverable.A.1

LIFE Project Number
LIFE11 ENV/E/000600

DELIVERABLE A.1.: Study of the current situation of the
management of algae and seaweed deposition wastes from the
coast

SEAMATTER: Revalorization of coastal algae wastes in textile nonwoven
industry with applications in building noise isolation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The primary objective of the SEAMATTER-LIFE project is to highlight the untapped
potential of marine plant debris deposited on beaches. This natural resource is usually
treated as waste, a practice that has environmental implications on a local scale and
which could be improved through the incorporation of new coastal zone management
criteria. Exploitation of this material would entail the implementation of a
management model which incorporated new functions related to industrial processes,
implying a reformulation of the same within the framework of sustainability. This
report discusses the problem posed by the accumulation of seaweed and seagrass on
beaches, and addresses the environmental, social, economic, legal and administrative
aspects affecting Spanish municipalities. The results provide an analysis of current
practice as regards treatment of this debris, including collection, transportation,
storage and disposal of the waste. The environmental cost of these practices and the
pertinent legislation is also discussed, and a number of recommendations are
presented for reducing the environmental impact caused by the removal of marine
plant debris.
CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 3
1.1. The goal of Seamatter .................................................................................................. 4
1.2. The Mediterranean case: Posidonia oceanica meadows. ............................................ 6
2. RESULTS ................................................................................................................ 12
2.1. Technological information related to the collection, transportation and
final use of beach-cast seaweed/marine plant debris. ............................................................ 12
2.2. Laws, ordinances, memoranda and best practice guidelines for waste
collection on European coastlines. ........................................................................................... 35
2.3. Recommendations for marine plant debris management. ........................................ 39
2.4. Environmental cost of using these management systems for the
collection/ transportation of marine plant debris. ................................................................... 41
2.4.1. Introduction and formulation of the problem ........................................................... 41
2.4.2. The role of wrack beds in ensuring beach stability .................................................... 42
2.4.3. The effect on beach sediment dynamics of removing beach-cast wrack .................. 45
2.4.3.1. Efectos en playas arenosas .................................................................................... 45
2.4.3.2. Effects on pebble and gravel beaches ................................................................... 47
2.4.4. Morphological changes on the free surface of sandy beaches .................................. 52
3. CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 56
4. AGRADECIMIENTOS .............................................................................................. 59
5. BIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 60
6. ANNEX ................................................................................................................... 65
6.1. Questionnaire model sent to the coastal Council Government ................................. 65
1. INTRODUCTION

The mounds of seaweed and seagrass found on beaches, known as beach-cast wrack
or wrack beds, are the result of a natural process whereby these plants detach from
the rocky or sandy substrates on which they have grown and are then washed ashore.
Beach-cast wrack is a natural phenomenon that is usually caused by large waves and
storms on the coast, which generally have a beneficial effect on the health of seaweed
and marine plant populations. Wrack beds act as natural barriers against coastal
erosion, form embryonic dunes, provide organic matter and nutrients to the native
flora and represent a source of food for many invertebrates which in turn provide food
for seabirds, insects and juvenile fish, etc.

At present, beach-cast seaweed and marine plants may either be harvested, usually for
industrial purposes (production of agar, carrageenan and alginates, feed for Haliotis
farming, fertilisers, insulators, etc.) and agricultural uses, or simply removed, generally
in response to the demands of tourism and recreational activities. The putrefaction
processes associated with the decomposition of these large mounds of beach-cast
organic matter can adversely affect recreational use of the area as well as possessing
an unattractive appearance and an unpleasant smell. The complaints received from
tourists and beach users, who are unaware of the ecological and environmental
importance of beach-cast wrack, prompt the local authorities responsible for keeping
the beaches clean to remove and transport wrack beds to landfill sites. However, the
sudden and massive nature of wrack deposition on beaches poses serious problems as
regards planning the cleaning operations required for its elimination. In addition,
removal exacerbates the existing environmental problems associated with overloaded
landfill sites at which no protocol or system for the disposal of low-impact wrack beds
has yet been established. Nor does there exist to date a single specific system for
removing beach-cast wrack or a historical record which would facilitate the
development of a plan for harvesting and using this waste. Moreover, existing removal
systems could present a serious threat to beaches, since they can alter coastal
sediment dynamics and natural processes.

Therefore, it is essential to monitor and assess the need for and effect of removal of
beach-cast wrack. Several studies on the natural phenomenon of wrack beds have
demonstrated that they serve as bioindicators of natural seaweed and seagrass
populations, which are under severe threat from urban growth in tourist areas, and as
optimal indicators of coastal environmental quality.
1.1. The goal of Seamatter

The main objective of the SEAMATTER-LIFE project is to demonstrate and validate the
reuse of beach-cast wrack as a raw material in the composite materials industry.
Considered as waste, applications for these natural materials removed from beaches
may be found in the nonwovens industry, by converting the materials derived from
marine biomass into sustainable textile reinforcements suitable for use in the
materials industry, specifically as acoustic panels in buildings, by means of wet-laid
technology.
Beach-cast wrack is often considered an environmental nuisance because it emits an
unpleasant odour; thus, in order to maintain their beaches in optimal conditions for
tourism, local councils in coastal areas normally remove and dispose of it (Figure 1).
However, this process also implies the inadvertent removal of large amounts of sand,
gradually eroding the beaches which must then be regenerated by adding new sand.
Consequently, the most common practice today is to leave wrack beds undisturbed
throughout the winter and to remove them in the summer, when tourists make
massive use of coastal areas.

Figure 1: Inconvenience of Posidonia 's banquettes during tourism high season (Source: Diario
Información, Alicante Press).
The process this project aims to apply to beach-cast wrack is that of wet laying, a
modified version of the papermaking process. The difference between the two resides
in the amount of fibres present in a wet nonwoven fabric. The wet laid process consists
of diluting fibres in water to create a suspension which is then deposited on a moving
wire mesh and drained to form a web. After being subjected to further dehydration,
the web is consolidated by pressing between rollers and subsequently dried. The
process also includes impregnation with binders, usually at a later stage. The strength
of the web is similar in all directions in the plane of the fabric. A wide range of natural,
mineral, synthetic and artificial fibres of varying lengths can be used. In the wet-laid
process, different fibres are thoroughly and evenly mixed to yield a specific product
presenting the optimum properties of each type of fibre used. Previous R & D projects
conducted by AITEX have demonstrated that this technology is useful for obtaining
several nonwoven materials from textile waste. However, the aim of the present
project is to innovate through the use of this technology to exploit the potential of
beach-cast wrack.
In summary, the SEAMATTER-LIFE environmental impact assessment project is aimed
at providing a solution to the environmental problem of beach-cast wrack disposal,
whenever such disposal is necessary, and at studying optimal techniques for collection,
transportation, storage and treatment. Consequently, the project goal is to halt or
minimise the current practice of disposing of beach-cast wrack in landfill sites. The
project will thus contribute to the implementation of EC policy and legislation on
waste, in particular the Directive on waste disposal, specifically in the areas of recovery
and reuse, and washing of textiles.
Moreover, this project meets the objectives set out in the Sixth Environmental Action
Plan:
(A) To contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative policy
approaches, technologies, methods and instruments;
(B) To contribute to consolidating the knowledge base for the development,
assessment, monitoring and evaluation of environmental policy and legislation;
(C) To support the design and implementation of approaches to monitoring and
assessment of the state of the environment and the factors, pressures and
responses that impact on it;
(D) To facilitate the implementation of Community environmental policy, with
particular emphasis on implementation at local and regional level. The project
is also aimed at meeting one of the main objectives of LIFE + Environment
Policy and Governance ("Engaging public services in the diffusion of
technologies and/or approaches developed by the projects"). In addition,
implementation of this project will mainly affect priority waste and natural
resources, and will also establish three priority areas for LIFE + Environment
Policy and Governance in Annex II of the LIFE + Water Environment Regulation,
i.e., Soil, Noise and Urban Environment.

This present report forms part of task A1: a study of current beach-cast wrack
management practices, consisting of a preliminary analysis of the present situation as
regards seaweed and marine plant (Posidonia oceanica for example, in the
Mediterranean area) management and removal, from the coast to the final treatment
or destination.
Data on the current state of technology for the collection, transportation, storage and
disposal of beach-cast seaweed and other marine plant debris is of great interest to
the coastal municipalities. Therefore, a large number of local councils were considered
in this study, collecting data on the following aspects:

a) Assessment of beach type (stony, sandy, artificial stone, port).
b) Survey of seaweed abundance.
c) Collection techniques employed.
d) Transportation.
e) Storage methods.
f) Disposal.

The project will also include the following sub-actions:
A.1. Development of a guide document comprising the technological
information related to collection, transportation and end-use of beach-cast
seaweed and marine plant waste.
A.2. Development of a guide document comprising legislation, policies and
plans related to the management of beach-cast wrack.
A.3. Development of a guide document comprising economic information
related to the identified procedures for managing beach-cast wrack.
A.4. Study on the environmental cost of using these management systems for
the collection/transportation of beach-cast wrack.

1.2. The Mediterranean case: Posidonia oceanica meadows.

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is a seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea (Figure
2). It forms extensive underwater meadows along the coastline and is present from
the shallowest waters to depths which vary depending on the limit at which there is
sufficient light intensity for photosynthesis to occur (Pergent et al., 1995). Like all
other flowering plants, it has leaves, roots, a stem or rhizome, flowers and fruits. The
leaves are ribbon-like and distichous, forming a tuft around each of the rhizomes
(Figure 3). They grow from a basal meristem for a length of time which varies between
four and eleven months; after this period, the leaves lose their function, essential
nutrients are returned to the plant and they are shed, although they may remain fixed
to the plant for some time.
Figure 2: Posidonia oceanica meadow (IEL-J.Guillén).
The intensity with which these processes occur presents a certain level of seasonality,
with leaf renewal mainly occurring in late summer and early autumn (Ott, 1980;
McComb et al., 1981; Orth & Moore, 1986; Kirkman & Cook, 1987; Sánchez Lizaso,
1993). Posidonia oceanica meadows constitute one of the most productive marine
ecosystems on the planet, hence their importance; they provide a direct or indirect
source of food since a wide variety of organisms grow on the leaves (Battiato et al.,
1982). In addition, they provide shelter to many animals and a place for spawning and
rearing. The meadows also comprise a major element in the nutrient cycle of coastal
ecosystems and in coastal sediment dynamics.
Figure 3: Parts of the plant seagrass (Source: LIFE + Posidonia Andalucía).
Relationship between Posidonia oceanica meadows and sediment.

Seagrasses are highly productive coastal ecosystems that have strong influence on
sedimentation processes (Boudouresque & Jeudy de Grissac 1983; Jeudy de Grissac &
Boudouresque 1985; Blanc & de Jeudy de Grissac 1989; Madsen et al., 2001). Several
studies have emphasised the role of marine plants in modifying hydrodynamics (Amos
et al., 2004), since they promote the deposition of fine sediments and mitigate the
effects of sediment resuspension (Gambi et al, 1990; Fonseca, 1996; Komatsu, 1996;
Gacia et al., 1999). Seagrasses also supply biogenic carbonate particles to the
substrate and contribute to the production of carbonate sediments. The rate at which
seagrass epiphytes produce biogenic carbonate has been quantified as being in the
range of 0.05 a 7.67 g m-2 day-1 (18 to 2,800 g m-2 year-1) (Gacia et al., 2003) and
0.19 to 0.43 g m-2 day-1, equivalent to 69 - 157 g m-2 year-1 (Canals & Ballesteros,
1997). The rate at which Posidonia oceanica epiphytes produce carbonate is generally
lower than in other tropical seagrass meadows . However, the sediments accumulated
in P. oceanica meadows in different parts of the Mediterranean show high
percentages of biogenic carbonate because of the fauna associated with these
ecosystems (Jeudy de Grissac & Boudouresque 1985; Blanc & Jeudy de Grissac, 1989;
Fornos & Ahr, 1997).
Furthermore, Posidonia oceanica has the capacity to adapt its growth rate and the
angle of its rhizome stems to the rate of sediment deposition (Boudouresque & Jeudy
de Grissac, 1983). Thus, P. oceanica eventually forms platforms, or mats, consisting of
a dense network of roots, rhizomes and trapped sediments, which reduce wave energy
and affect the composition of the bottom sediments, preventing resuspension of fine
sediments (Gacia et al., 1999) and enriching them with biogenic waste (Mateo et al.,
1997).

The sedimentary facies of carbonate mud associated with seagrass meadows develop
in accordance with the rate such mud is produced, generally higher in the tropics than
in temperate and subtropical areas where marine sediments can be dominated by
coarse particles of siliciclastic origin (Perry & Beavington-Penney, 2005). Biogenic
carbonate particles are associated with the sediment sand fraction (De Falco et al.,
2000) and may affect the composition of sediments adjacent to the beach (De Falco et
al., 2003). In this regard, studies of the present-day Balearic Islands coast, which
presents low energy slopes, have confirmed that Posidonia oceanica meadows are
associated with infralittoral sedimentary carbonate facies that are mainly composed of
mollusc fragments (Fornos & Ahr, 1997). This association has been used to interpret
depositional environments of past geological formations (Pomar, 2001). Similar
associations have been recorded in platforms to the south of Sardinia (Lecca et al.,
2005).

Moreover, Posidonia oceanica meadows also colonise areas with sediments of
terrestrial origin (e.g. Ligurian coast, northern Italy, Cavazza et al., 2000) and rocky
substrates (De Falco et al, 2003; Di Carlo et. al., 2005), whereas they are generally
absent in coastal river mouths where fine sediments are deposited (Pasqualini et al.,
1998; De Falco et al., 2006), due to the reduced light penetration caused by high
sedimentation rates and turbidity. Hydrodynamics can be a relevant factor in
controlling sedimentation and the growth dynamics of seagrasses (Boström et al.,
2006).

The landscape patterns observed in seagrass habitats are often associated with
hydrodynamic disturbances induced by waves (Koch et al., 2006), and loss of Posidonia
oceanica meadows has been reported in coastal areas characterised by a low water
renewal capacity (Orfila et al., 2005).

1.2.2. Formation of wrack beds.
Part of the foliage which is shed from Posidonia oceanica is recycled within the
meadow community itself, whilst another part is exported, either downward into
deeper waters or towards the coast where it reaches the shore. Mounds of leaves and