New project to our project portfolio: the Reed Project

The objective of the project is to recycle the nutrients from reed in eutrophied coastal waters to land.

The idea for the project began during the drought in 2018 when farmers faced a scarcity of fodder and contemplated emergency slaughter of their animals. At the same time, reed was growing abundantly along the shoreline. This, in combination with reed being widely recognised as an efficient way to extract nutrients from water, sparked the idea of commercially harvesting reed as a way to clean water. Since then, our organisation, RFTB, has been following the efforts of the researchers at SLU to recycle nutrients from the water by harvesting reed. In 2022, the John Nurminen Foundation invited RFTB to participate in a project application aimed at finding a sustainable way to harvest reed at a larger scale that is both environmentally and financially sound. The application was for an EU Interreg project with partners from Finland, Estonia, and Sweden, and was ultimately approved in December 2022.

There are many aspects to consider ranging from environmental impact from harvesting, commercial uses of reed to harvesting equipment. While there are many promising uses for reed, such as replacement of peat, straws, biochar, and fodder, ensuring their sustainability remains a challenge.

The project is set to begin this summer and will continue for three years. We are excited to keep you updated on our progress as we move forward.