The launch in April

In LIFE SURE, we will develop and test dredging robots that are self-propelled, do not cloud the water and they must also be easy to move. At the launch in April, we tested the movability for the dredging robots. Our light robots were transported from the winter storage to Malmfjärden by truck and easily lifted into the water directly from the truck.

We invited the media to LIFE SURE at Malmfjärden.

LIFE SURE has started operations by collecting sediment from Malmfjärden. New for this year is that we have two dredging robots working at the same time. Buoys and tubes are located in Malmfjärden from April to late autumn. Be careful when you cross the fairway in Malmfjärden so that you do not get stuck. It is forbidden to stay in the dredging areas themselves. Mudster is operated with ropes that are difficult to detect. The dredging areas are marked with anchors with yellow crosses.

On the site we will also have a demonstration facility how to use sediment for different purposes. Renate Foks, Project Manager and Johan Persson, Project Coordinator from Kalmar Municipality, Frank Schmieder, Researcher and William Hogland, Professor from Linnaeus University gave the presentation and gave the tour.

Experiments in the lab

Small scale cultivation experiments in the lab greenhouse at Linneaus University are starting to produce promising results. Growth of test plants on sediment blended with additional mineral and organic materials to improve structure and nutrient availability was very good and comparable with commercial planting soil. These findings will flow into the set-up of a cultivation experiment directly at the LIFE SURE site that we are currently busy with.

Here we will test the potential of the sediment to grow plants under less controlled and more natural conditions. We will work with a greater variety of plants both ornamental and edible and increase the number of different treatments. Among other, we will investigate whether beach wrack can be used to improve plant growth on the sediment mixtures. Additionally, we will test a set up in which effluent water from the dredging operation is used for irrigation. Most of the planting boxes will be placed readily observable for people passing by the LIFE SURE site. We will also provide interesting facts about the experiment that can be accessed by everyone via QR code.

We love collaboration!

We want to share what we learn during our project and we are eager to have input from others! Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any inquires or are curious about our project.

During 2021 we will host a number of study visits. We will send invitations to all who subscribes to our newsletter. If you are a larger group that wants to visit LIFE SURE in Kalmar, you are welcome to contact our project leader Renate Foks: renate.foks@kalmar.se.

Contact LIFE SURE

The LIFE SURE project has received funding from the LITE programme of the European Union and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Managerment

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