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Seaweeds contain many varied and commercially valuable components, from individual pigments and metabolites through to whole biomass, and yet they remain an under cultivated and underutilised commodity. Currently, commercial exploitation of seaweeds is predominantly limited to whole biomass consumption or single product extracts for the food industry. The development of a seaweed biorefinery, based around multiple products and services, could provide an important opportunity to exploit new and currently underexplored markets. Here, we assessed the native and invasive seaweeds on the South West coast of the UK to determine their characteristics and potential for exploitation through a biorefinery pipeline, looking at multiple components including pigments, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and other metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the majority of microarray work has been restricted to well-defined model organisms. This was primarily due to the limited availability of genomic or transcriptomic sequence data and the then high cost involved in developing microarrays. However, recent technological developments have greatly enhanced the speed of generating the underpinning sequence data for non-model species, and have opened up more cost-effective approaches for microarray production to make them far more affordable for researchers at the lower end of the budget range. These developments have been seized upon by the environmental genomics community within the UK. The creation of a network of closely integrated facilities for sequencing, microarray printing and bioinformatics has opened the gateway for the study of environmentally relevant organisms. Here, we describe the infrastructure for microarray development within the UK, and the diverse applications for which they are currently being used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum-rich basins at a mature stage of exploration and production offer many opportunities for large-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) since oil and gas were demonstrably contained by low-permeability top-sealing rocks, such as shales. For CCS to work, there must be effectively no leakage from the injection site, so the nature of the top-seal is an important aspect for consideration when appraising prospective CCS opportunities. The Lower Cretaceous Rodby Shale and the Palaeocene Lista Shale have acted as seals to oil and gas accumulations (e.g., the Atlantic and Balmoral fields) and may now play a critical role in sealing the Acorn and East Mey subsurface carbon storage sites. The characteristics of these important shales have been little addressed in the hydrocarbon extraction phase, with an understandable focus on reservoir properties and their influence on resource recovery rates. Here, we assess the characteristics of the Rodby and Lista Shales using wireline logs, geomechanical tests, special core analysis (mercury intrusion) and mineralogical and petrographic techniques, with the aim of highlighting key properties that identify them as suitable top-seals. The two shales, defined using the relative gamma log values (or Vshale), have similar mean pore throat radius (approximately 18 nm), splitting tensile strength (approximately 2.5 MPa) and anisotropic values of splitting tensile strength, but they display significant differences in terms of wireline log character, porosity and mineralogy. The Lower Cretaceous Rodby Shale has a mean porosity of approximately 14 %, a mean permeability of 263 nD (2.58 × 10−19 m2), and is calcite rich and has clay minerals that are relatively rich in non-radioactive phases such as kaolinite. The Palaeocene Lista Shale has a mean porosity of approximately 16% a mean permeability of 225 nD (2.21 × 10−19 m2), and is calcite free, but contains abundant quartz silt and is dominated by smectite. The 2% difference in porosity does not seem to equate to a significant difference in permeability. Elastic properties derived from wireline log data show that Young's modulus, material stiffness, is very low (5 GPa) for the most shale (clay mineral)-rich Rodby intervals, with Young's modulus increasing as shale content decreases and as cementation (e.g., calcite) increases. Our work has shown that Young's modulus, which can be used to inform the likeliness of tensile failure, may be predictable based on routine gamma, density and compressive sonic logs in the majority of wells where the less common shear logs were not collected. The predictability of Young's modulus from routine well log data could form a valuable element of CCS-site top-seal appraisals. This study has shown that the Rodby and Lista Shales represent good top-seals to the Acorn and East Mey CCS sites and they can hold CO2 column heights of approximately 380 m. The calcite-rich Rodby Shale may be susceptible to localised carbonate dissolution and increasing porosity and permeability but decreasing tendency to develop fracture permeability in the presence of injected CO2, as brittle calcite dissolves. In contrast, the calcite-free, locally quartz-rich, Lista Shale will be geochemically inert to injected CO2 but retain its innate tendency to develop fracture permeability (where quartz rich) in the presence of injected CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Acorn CO 2 Storage Site is a geological CCS project, offshore, UK. • A coupled geomechanical and petrographic study has been performed on the site. • The site is here shown to be suitable for long-term CO 2 injection and storage. Extraction or injection of fluids within the subsurface causes fluctuations of fluid pressures and thus stress conditions. It is paramount to have knowledge of the geomechanical strength of a system's lithologies, and the factors that control it, in order to maintain optimal conditions during extraction/injection. If the yield strengths of the reservoir or caprock are overcome, particularly in the near-wellbore region where stress is amplified, these fluctuations could potentially compromise the system, through compactional or dilatational failure. Here we have used a novel combination of methods to determine the geomechanical and petrographic properties of the reservoir and caprock lithologies to assess suitability of the proposed Acorn CO 2 Storage Site, offshore north-east Scotland, for long-term injection and storage of CO 2. The Acorn CO 2 Storage Site has a highly porous and transmissible sandstone reservoir, with bulk mineralogy that will be stable under CO 2 -rich conditions, making it ideal for receiving at least 152 MT CO 2 injected over ∼20 years and storage of >1000 years post-injection, as part of the ACT-Acorn Development Plan. However, due to the high porosity and low cementation of the sandstone reservoir, it has low yield strength and is vulnerable to disaggregation and porosity-reduction if injection rates are too high and stress/pressure conditions exceed their yield strength. The results presented here provide quantitative constraints on the porosity reduction expected should yield occur and place limits on CO 2 injection rates. The shale caprock, with a high swelling clay content and very low permeability, present ideal Carbon Capture and Storage seal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological stratigraphies that may contain floors are often encountered. For more than a decade soil micromorphologists working on archaeological sequences have benefited from having access to reference thin sections of ethnoarchaeological and experimental floors, including those from the floors of Iron Age houses reconstructed by the late Dr Peter Reynolds at Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, UK. This paper reports upon experimental studies mainly carried out at Butser during 1990–95 and their suggested application to microstratigraphic and microfacies analysis of occupation sites. Sampling at Butser in 1990 was very much a ‘rescue’ operation. Nevertheless, fundamental differences in soil micromorphology were found between domestic house beaten floor deposits and those formed in a stable. These differences were also reflected in the parallel study of pollen from these deposits, with microchemical analyses helping to explain anomalous pollen preservation in the ‘unsuitable’ soil at Butser. The limited bulk chemical study produced less clear results, but when compared with findings from some Roman and early medieval sites in London, showed that the chemical trends hinted at Butser are probably replicated in some ancient floors. A preliminary interdisciplinary study of samples from the London Guildhall clearly suggested the potential of such microstratigraphical and microfacies analyses, and intimates at the potential of attaining rigorous consensus interpretations. Stable floor deposits are both organic and phosphate-rich, with homogeneous soil micromorphological and pollen characteristics. Beaten floors are much more mineralogenic and heterogeneous in terms of their microfabric and pollen that also indicate trampling-in of a wide variety of allocthonous materials, the last commonly responsible for raised magnetic susceptibility at archaeological sites. These findings prove the worth of the ethnoarchaeological simulations carried out at the Moel-y-gar stable and domestic Pimperne House. This microfacies approach is viewed as complementary to site reconstruction through macrofossil analysis of beetles and plant remains, especially where sites are being investigated at the microstratigraphic level. The phosphate content of stabling deposits may allow preservation of pollen in what may otherwise be deemed unsuitable material, as demonstrated at Butser. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Research to date has identified cost and lack of support from stakeholders as two key barriers to the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) industry that is capable of effectively mitigating climate change. This paper responds to these challenges through systematic evaluation of the research and development process for the Acorn CCS project, a project designed to develop a scalable, full-chain CCS project on the north-east coast of the UK. Through assessment of Acorn's publicly-available outputs, we identify strategies which may help to enhance the viability of early-stage CCS projects. Initial capital costs can be minimised by infrastructure re-use, particularly pipelines, and by re-use of data describing the subsurface acquired during oil and gas exploration activity. Also, development of the project in separate stages of activity (e.g. different phases of infrastructure re-use and investment into new infrastructure) enables cost reduction for future build-out phases. Additionally, engagement of regional-level policy makers may help to build stakeholder support by situating CCS within regional decarbonisation narratives. We argue that these insights may be translated to general objectives for any CCS project sharing similar characteristics such as legacy infrastructure, industrial clusters and an involved stakeholder-base that is engaged with the fossil fuel industry. • Cost reduction and stakeholder support are essential for CCS industry development. • Acorn is aimed to develop a full-chain CCS system at minimum cost by the 2020s. • Infrastructure re-use and staged investment and development enable cost reduction. • Stakeholder and local community engagement is key to promote a just transition. • The Acorn experience can be implemented in regions with similar CCS needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is an essential tool in the fight against climate change. Any prospective storage site must meet various criteria that ensure the effectiveness, safety and economic viability of the storage operations. Finding the most suitable site for the storage of the captured CO 2 is an essential part of the CCS chain of activity. This work addresses the site selection of a second site for the Acorn CCS project, a project designed to develop a scalable, full-chain CCS project in the North Sea (offshore northeast Scotland). This secondary site has been designed to serve as a backup and upscaling option for the Acorn Site, and has to satisfy pivotal project requirements such as low cost and high storage potential. The methodology followed included the filtering of 113 input sites from the UK CO 2 Stored database, according to general and project-specific criteria in a multi-staged approach. This criteria-driven workflow allowed for an early filtering out of the less suitable sites, followed by a more comprehensive comparison and ranking of the 15 most suitable sites. A due diligence assessment was conducted of the top six shortlisted sites to produce detailed assessment of their storage properties and suitability, including new geological interpretation and capacity calculations for each site. With the new knowledge generated during this process, a critical comparison of the sites led to selection of East Mey as the most suitable site, due to its outstanding storage characteristics and long-lasting hydrocarbon-production history, that ensure excellent data availability to risk-assess storage structures. A workshop session was held to present methods and results to independent stakeholders; feedback informed the final selection criteria. This paper provides an example of a criteria-driven approach to site selection that can be applied elsewhere. • CO 2 storage site selection for the Acorn CCS project in the North Sea. • Criteria-driven approach based on geological, economic, and safety aspects. • Multi-staged methodology including filtering, comparison and ranking of sites. • East Mey selected thanks to its storage characteristics and hydrocarbon history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]