The chemical composition of geothermal fluids may be altered upon ascent from the reservoir to surface by processes including boiling, degassing, mixing, oxidation and water–rock interaction. In an attempt to quantify these processes, a three step model was developed that includes: (1) defining the composition of the end-member fluid types present in the system, (2) quantifying mixing between the end-members using non-reactive elemental concentrations and enthalpy and (3) quantifying the changes of reactive elements including degassing, oxidation and water–rock interaction. The model was applied to geothermal water at Vonarskard, Iceland, for demonstration having temperatures of 3–98 °C, pH of 2.15–9.95 and TDS of 323–2250 ppm, and was thought to be produced from boiled reservoir water, condensed steam and non-thermal water. Most geothermal water represented mixture of non-thermal water and condensed steam whereas the boiled reservoir water was insignificantly mixed. CO2 and H2S degassing was found to be quantitative in steam-heated water, with oxidation of H2S to SO4 also occurred. In contrast, major rock forming elements are enriched in steam-heated water relative to their mixing ratios, suggesting water–rock interaction in the surface zone. Boiled reservoir water observed in alkaline hot springs have, however, undergone less geochemical changes upon ascent to surface and within the surface zone.
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This study utilized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impacts of 1 kg of live-weight Arctic char, cultivated in an Icelandic land-based aquaculture farm. The functional unit included assessments of three different feed types; standard feed with high inclusion levels of marine ingredients (Conv.), experimental feed with high inclusion levels of agricultural ingredients (ECO) and a hypothetical Black soldier fly larvae based feed (BSF). Results of the study indicated that the feed production causes the greatest environmental impacts from all feed types considered. The Black soldier fly based feed demonstrated the best environmental performance of the three feed types. Furthermore, it can be concluded that by increasing agriculture based ingredients at the cost of marine based ingredients, a better environmental performance can be reached. This study demonstrated the importance of feed production for aquaculture in terms of environmental impacts and showed that byoptimizing feed consumption, reducing the amount of fishmeal and fish oil and even creating new types of feed from novel ingredients, the overall impacts of aquaculture can be greatly reduced.
The thermophile Rhodothermus marinus produces extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) that forms a distinct cellular capsule. Here, the first data on EPS production in strains DSM4252T and MAT493 are reported and compared. Cultures of both strains, supplemented with either glucose, sucrose, lactose or maltose showed that the EPS were produced both in the exponential and stationary growth phase and that production in the exponential phase was boosted by maltose supplementation, while stationary phase production was boosted by lactose. The latter was higher, resulting in 8.8 (DSM4252T) and 13.7 mg EPS/g cell dry weight (MAT493) in cultures in marine broth supplemented with 10 g/L lactose. The EPSs were heteropolymeric with an average molecular weight of 8 × 104 Da and different monosaccharides, including arabinose and xylose. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl, N-acetyl, amine, and sulfate ester groups, showing that R. marinus produces unusual sulfated EPS with high arabinose and xylose content.
Lipid deterioration of mackerel caught in Icelandic waters was studied, as affected by different frozen storage temperatures (−18 °C vs. −25 °C) and seasonal variation (August vs. September). The lipid stability was investigated by analyses of hydroperoxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), free fatty acids, as well as changes in fatty acid composition. Results showed significant lipid deterioration with extended storage time, where the lower storage temperature showed significantly more protective effects. Furthermore, a higher lipid oxidation level was recorded for fish caught in September than in August, although lipid hydrolysis occurred to be greater for fish in August than in September. Moreover, results indicated a rather stable level of omega-3 fatty acid during the whole frozen storage period. The analysis indicated that both lipid oxidation and hydrolysis were affected by the frozen storage temperature and the stability differed with regard to season of catch.
Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) appears in Icelandic waters during its heavy feeding period, resulting in variation in product quality. Fish caught at different times during the summers of 2012 and 2013 (July, August, September) and at different sites of the Icelandic fishing area (East, Northeast, South and Southeast) were analysed. Measurements of lipid and water content, fatty acid composition, lipid hydroperoxide (PV), thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) and free fatty acids (FFA) were studied with the aim of investigating whether this raw material was suitable for the production of high quality products for human consumption. In general, samples collected during the summer of 2012 showed a better condition than fish from 2013. The results indicated seasonal variation in lipid content and rancidity development. The lowest rancidity values were observed in the middle of the Icelandic catching season, indicating that this raw material was best suited for production of high quality products. Moreover, geographical variation of the mackerel catches had an impact on the saturation of the fatty acids, and appeared as follows: East > Northeast.
Atlantic Mackerel (Scombrus scombrus) is a novel species in Iceland, caught during the heavy feeding period. The feeding has an impact on quality and stability of the products, which requires optimization of storage and processing conditions. Physicochemical changes of brined and un-brined mackerel were analysed during frozen storage (6, 9, 12 months) at −18 °C vs. −25 °C with the aim of investigating the suitability of using well-fed frozen mackerel as raw material for canned and hot-smoked products. Heat treatments to a core temperature of 90 °C (representing canning) and 75 °C (representing hot-smoking) were applied. Prolonged frozen storage showed negative effects on the raw material prior to heat processing due to an increased level of lipid oxidation, where fish stored at −18 °C was of significantly poorer quality than fish stored at −25 °C. Moreover, the results indicated that heat treatment resulting in a core temperature of 75 °C showed higher water content, liquid holding capacity, heating yield as well as lower maximum shear force of texture compared to mackerel heated to a core temperature of 90 °C. Overall, analyses indicated that the fatty summer mackerel was well suitable for production of canned and hot-smoked products.
The oceans represent an understudied resource for the isolation of bacteria with the potential to produce novel secondary metabolites. In particular, actinomyces are well known to produce chemically diverse metabolites with a wide range of biological activities. This study characterised spore-forming bacteria from both Scottish and Antarctic sediments to assess the influence of isolation location on secondary metabolite production. Due to the selective isolation method used, all 85 isolates belonged to the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, with the majority of isolates belonging to the genera Bacillus and Streptomyces. Based on morphology, thirty-eight isolates were chosen for chemical investigation. Molecular networking based on chemical profiles (HR-MS/MS) of fermentation extracts was used to compare complex metabolite extracts. The results revealed 40% and 42% of parent ions were produced by Antarctic and Scottish isolated bacteria, respectively, and only 8% of networked metabolites were shared between these locations, implying a high degree of biogeographic influence upon secondary metabolite production. The resulting molecular network contained over 3500 parent ions with a mass range of m/z 149–2558 illustrating the wealth of metabolites produced. Furthermore, seven fermentation extracts showed bioactivity against epithelial colon adenocarcinoma cells, demonstrating the potential for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds from these understudied locations.
An agent-based approach for modelling fisher behavior as a dynamic constraint resolution problem is proposed. The fishers are modeled as agents tasked with optimizing different multi-objective utility functions over a search space subjected to ecological, social, and political constraints derived from existing ecological and social models. The agents search for a satisfactory strategy by using a guided local search algorithm modified to allow for competition or cooperation in varying degrees, and the utility function is modified to mimic perfect rationality, as well as to include well-known behavioral strategies such as repetition, imitation, and social comparison. The goal of the model is to allow analysis and comparison of fisher strategies and their impact on the environment under different ecological limitations, fishing policies and assumptions of rationality on the part of the fishers.
The origin and life history of 186 Atlantic salmon caught at sea within Icelandic waters were investigated using microsatellites to assess the origin and scales and otoliths to assess freshwater and sea age. A total of 184 samples were aged using scales or otolithes or both. Most of the samples were from individuals in their first year at sea (72.8%). The freshwater age varied from 1 to 5 years with an average of 2.6 years. The most common freshwater age was 2 years (42%), with a further substantial proportion of 3-year-old fish (28%). Genetic assignment of individual fish to their most likely population of origin was performed using Bayesian genetic individual assignments with a baseline consisting of 284 Eastern Atlantic rivers and 466 sample sites genotyped at the 14 microsatellite. A total of 186 samples of salmon caught at sea were assigned to their origin. Eight samples, from post-smolts and caught close to land, were assigned as having come from Iceland. Of the remaining 178 samples, 121 individuals (68%) were from the Southern Group, i.e. from mainland Europe, the UK, and Ireland, 53 individuals (30%) were from the Northern Group, i.e. Scandinavia and Northern Russia, and 4 individuals were from Iceland (2%). Stock mixture proportions were estimated for four periods using ONCOR and cBAYES. Stock mixture analysis generally supported the individual assignments, but did not suggest a seasonal component to the distribution of salmon stocks. These results indicate that the sea south and east of Iceland are important as feeding areas for migrating Atlantic salmon, particularly for salmon originating in the UK, Ireland, and southern Europe. Furthermore, the lack of adult Icelandic fish so close to Iceland is remarkable and suggests that Atlantic salmon from Icelandic stocks are using different feeding grounds.
In 2014 NCM initiated a new project: “Test centers for green energy solutions – Biorefineries and Business needs” to strengthen Nordic bioeconomy by identifying potentials, obstacles, needs and opportunities. The Nordic bioeconomy has a unique profile: Upgrade of many types of residues also to higher value products; good collaboration between private and public sector; R&D efforts in all Nordic countries. However, shortcomings were also identified: few activities across Nordic countries beyond designated Nordic programs; too few upscaling facilities; need for improved framework conditions (within regulatory and market stimulus) for biobased products. This report is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers’ green growth initiative: “The Nordic Region – leading in green growth” – read more in the web magazine “Green Growth the Nordic Way” at www.nordicway.org or at www.norden.org/greengrowth.