The effect of experimental drill fluid on the vital activities of the bivalve mollusk Mytilus edulis L

• Published in: IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science 2020-07, Vol.539 (1), p.12197
• Main Authors: Malavenda, S S, Belukhin, A I, Bogdanov, A O, Bannikov, A A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1755-1307; 1755-1315
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/539/1/012197

The effect of two drill fluids on the survival rate and linear growth rate of bivalve mollusks Mytilus edulis has been studied. The standard water-based drill fluid includes barite and carboxymethyl cellulose, which are highly toxic substances. The main components of an experimental presumably biodegradable solution are the ground brown algae Saccharina latissima, inhabiting the coast of the Barents Sea, and ferrochrome lignosulfonate, which also applies to toxic components. The minimal concentration of a standard drill fluid led to the 100% death after 9 days of exposure; the experimental drill fluid did not affect the mortality of mussels at all. The mollusks exposed to the concentration of 5 and 10 g/L of experimental drill fluid have been characterized by a high relative linear growth. An experimental drill fluid that does not contain barite and carboxymethyl cellulose may be considered safe for marine bivalves; and its components seems to be easily degradable, since some of them may be used as a food source by some detritus-feeding invertebrates