Another important milestone completed. On 6 December we carried out a test, incredibly important for us, of our technology and above all of our unique suction nozzle. The test shows what we ourselves have known, but now we can evaluate different technical routes to recovering nodules in the Bothnian Bay with minimised risk of impact on the marine environment during nodule harvesting.
The goal has been to be able to harvest and expose nodules from the seabed gently, and to filter out sediment in order either to make use of different constituents of the sediment or to put sediment back on the seabed to maintain or improve ecosystem services from a sustainability perspective.
In the process, water is oxygenated and then returned to the seabed, which is an important component above all in the Baltic Sea project. With this test we have achieved every part of the goal. We have succeeded in exposing nodules in surrounding sediment, separating sediment from nodules, and returning oxygenated water with a chosen fraction, that is, size, of sediment.
With the technology we can now control what we draw up and what we return, and govern how the return of water and sediment is dispersed, which means we can minimise plume dispersal close to the seabed.
The testing was carried out with a 1:10 scale prototype in Poseidon Diving Systems’ 10 metre deep tank, where sediment and nodules had been laid out so the test could be performed. It was our CEO Peter Lindberg and I who dived. The whole test was filmed by Peter Andersson.
Given the patent question that is very much in progress, we cannot go into details about the technology, but believe me, I long for the day when we can show exactly how it works. This is significant enough that we have to tell you about it as an important step in the right direction for our business. It shows that the further development of technology and method we have worked hard on has produced results, and that we can carry this out safely in environmental terms. I am especially proud that we demonstrated our method with a prototype that worked almost perfectly in the second practical trial.
Further development of technology and method is under way and will be tested early next year. The focus will be on being able to measure and identify the returned water and sediment and the effects of plume dispersal. On the basis of coming tests and results we are working to develop technology and method continuously in order to minimise the effects of our operation.
The journey continues. I hope you keep following it. It feels good to take a little Christmas break with this successful test behind us and we look forward to continued hard work next year. I take the opportunity to wish a merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all.
A big thank you to Poseidon Diving Systems, Jonas Brandt (CEO) and Bjorn Fahlen (production manager) for letting us use their facility and do this, laying out sediment and nodules in the tank and carrying out the test. Thanks also to Peter Andersson, who filmed the whole test and its results.
