Mining for Sovereignty? Norwegian Coal Companies and the Quest for Supremacy over Svalbard 1916-1925

At the outbreak of the First World War there was virtually no Norwegian coalmining activity on the Spitsbergen archipelago. The handful of small coal companies that were formed in Norway around the turn of the century were either idle or had been bought up by foreign interests after a few years. During the war, however, several new private companies were established, most notably the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani in 1916. Two years later, in 1918–1919, the Norwegian government stated its desire to acquire full sovereignty over the archipelago. The wish was granted by the treaty of 9 February 1920 that came as a result of the peace negotiations in Paris. This paper reviews the role of the Norwegian coal companies in Norway’s quest for supremacy over Svalbard during and after the First World War. Were private enterprises an instrument of the Norwegian government’s ambitions or was it the other way around? It is argued that private companies were instrumental in moving the political authorities from a passive to an active stance regarding sovereignty during the last phase of the war and through the peace conference in 1919. Their primary concern was to protect their own vested interests. However, as soon as sovereignty was secured in 1920, it was the government that actively used the companies as instruments to improve Norway’s position on the archipelago before implementing the treaty and settling the property rights.Mining for Sovereignty? Norwegian Coal Companies and the Quest for Supremacy over Svalbard 1916-1925publishedVersio

Mining for Sovereignty? Norwegian Coal Companies and the Quest for Supremacy over Svalbard 1916-1925

At the outbreak of the First World War there was virtually no Norwegian coalmining activity on the Spitsbergen archipelago. The handful of small coal companies that were formed in Norway around the turn of the century were either idle or had been bought up by foreign interests after a few years. During the war, however, several new private companies were established, most notably the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani in 1916. Two years later, in 1918–1919, the Norwegian government stated its desire to acquire full sovereignty over the archipelago. The wish was granted by the treaty of 9 February 1920 that came as a result of the peace negotiations in Paris. This paper reviews the role of the Norwegian coal companies in Norway’s quest for supremacy over Svalbard during and after the First World War. Were private enterprises an instrument of the Norwegian government’s ambitions or was it the other way around? It is argued that private companies were instrumental in moving the political authorities from a passive to an active stance regarding sovereignty during the last phase of the war and through the peace conference in 1919. Their primary concern was to protect their own vested interests. However, as soon as sovereignty was secured in 1920, it was the government that actively used the companies as instruments to improve Norway’s position on the archipelago before implementing the treaty and settling the property rights. Note: I use the official toponym ‘Svalbard’, although before 1925 ‘Spitsbergen’ was more commonly used

Brown seaweed as a food ingredient contributing to an adequate but not excessive amount of iodine in the European diet. A case study with bread

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Cellulose Nanofibrils/Alginates Double-Network Composites: Effects of Interfibrillar Interaction and G/M Ratio of Alginates on Mechanical Performance

Interfibrillar phases and bonding in cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composites are crucial for materials performances. In this study, we investigated the influence of CNF surface characteristics, the guluronic acid/mannuronic acid ratio, and the molecular weight of alginates on the structure, mechanical, and barrier properties of CNF/alginate composite films. Three types of CNFs with varying surface charges and nanofibril dimensions were prepared from wood pulp fibers. The interfacial bonding through calcium ion cross-linking between alginate and carboxylated CNFs (TCNFs) led to significantly enhanced stiffness and strength due to the formation of an interpenetrating double network, compared to composites from alginates and CNFs with native negative or cationic surface charges. Various alginates extracted from Alaria esculenta (AE) and Laminaria hyperborea (LH) were also examined. The TCNF/AE composite, prepared from alginate with a high mannuronic acid proportion and high molecular weight, exhibited a Young’s modulus of 20.3 GPa and a tensile strength of 331 MPa under dry conditions and a Young’s modulus of 430 MPa and a tensile strength of 9.3 MPa at the wet state. Additionally, the TCNF/AE composite demonstrated protective properties as a barrier coating for fruit, significantly reducing browning of banana peels and weight loss of bananas stored under ambient conditions.publishedVersio

In-process epimerisation of alginates from Saccharina latissima, Alaria esculenta and Laminaria hyperborea

Alginates are valued in many industries, due to their versatile properties. These polysaccharides originate from brown algae (Phaeophyceae) and some bacteria of the Azotobacter and Pseudomonas genera, consisting of 1 → 4 linked β-d-mannuronic acid (M), and its C5-epimer α-l-guluronic acid (G). Several applications rely on a high G-content, which confers good gelling properties. Because of its high natural G-content (FG = 0.60–0.75), the alginate from Laminaria hyperborea (LH) has sustained a thriving industry in Norway. Alginates from other sources can be upgraded with mannuronan C-5 epimerases that convert M to G, and this has been demonstrated in many studies, but not applied in the seaweed industry. The present study demonstrates epimerisation directly in the process of alginate extraction from cultivated Saccharina latissima (SL) and Alaria esculenta (AE), and the lamina of LH. Unlike conventional epimerisation, which comprises multiple steps, this in-process protocol can decrease the time and costs necessary for alginate upgrading. In-process epimerisation with AlgE1 enzyme enhanced G-content and hydrogel strength in all examined species, with the greatest effect on SL (FG from 0.44 to 0.76, hydrogel Young's modulus from 22 to 34 kPa). As proof of concept, an upscaled in-process epimerisation of alginate from fresh SL was successfully demonstrated.publishedVersio

Rammer og regelverk for kulturminnevernet på Svalbard. Verdier og holdninger knyttet til bevaring og bruk av teknisk-industrielle kulturminner. Kartlegging og vurdering av praksis i forvaltningen av teknisk-industrielle kulturminner

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PCCH-Arctic – Polar Climate and Cultural Heritage – Preservation and Restoration Management

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An assessment of physical and chemical conditions in alginate extraction from two cultivated brown algal species in Norway: Alaria esculenta and Saccharina latissima

Alginates are linear anionic polysaccharides originating from brown algae. Their properties target several application areas in in food-, technical- and pharmaceutical industries, and thus they are highly valued. Norway is currently the largest producer of cultivated seaweed in Europe, where the predominant species are Alaria esculenta and Saccharina latissima. So far, the utilisation of these two species have mainly been targeting food and feed applications. However, utilisation of these species for much broader application areas, including biopolymer and biomaterial markets, is of great interest. Both species are interesting candidates for future alginate production, but protocols for efficient extraction of high-quality alginate are lacking. In the present study, protocols for alginate extraction from fresh A. esculenta and S. latissima have been established. This has been accomplished by the identification and variation of key parameters in the extraction protocol, including pH, temperature and incubation times, and study of their effects on alginate quality and purity. Optimal conditions in the present study were found to be pH 9 in the alkaline extraction, and short extraction time (1–5 hours). The alginates extracted at pH 9 had a yield of 185 ± 7 and 229 ± 12 mg/g dry weight seaweed, and a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 537 ± 12 and 503 ± 24 kDa in A. esculenta and S. latissima, respectively. The purity of the extracted alginates was evaluated based on the content of coextracted impurities and was found to be comparable with high-quality commercial alginates.publishedVersio