Blue Ocean Technology’s new sludge treatment system has been tested at Marine Harvest’s hatchery on the island of Kvingo in Masfjorden, Western Norway.
“This has been an exciting development project that has produced good results”, said Blue Ocean technology manager, Kjetil Fjellby.
According to Fjellby, Blue Ocean’s cleaning system requires far less power than other comparable facilities. It also takes up considerably less space.
“We are used to building separate units to house cleaning systems with drying facilities, but now that is not necessary. We can use the space for other things”, said Fjellby. A straightforward drying process lowers the electricity bill, he said. “Now, we only need a few small pumps that consume a total of around 1.5 kilowatts. A normal drying facility would use between 60 and 150 kW, depending on the technology involved”.
Marine Harvest has entered into an operating agreement with Blue Ocean that Fjellby calls “extremely practical”. Eemployees at the hatchery are responsible for the drum filters, but everything else is taken care of by Blue Ocean.
After a period of trial and error, the system seems to work well. “We could probably have brought the entire system and operated it ourselves, but this solution suits us well. The system is easy to understand, and the cleaning is extremely efficient. The water that comes out is clean”.
A closed indoor container that ensures an almost odour-free process was another product advantage. Good disposal facilities in the vicinity make getting rid of sludge simple. The waste is used in composting.
The cleaning facility is on of the newest on the market, so the cooperation helped get everything to function as it should. After some trial and error during the start-up phase, an extra component from Sorbwater Technology was added that uses natural alginates to reduce the overall emission of particles from aquaculture installations. If using a Blue Ocean organic filter, it cuts heavy metal content by up to 99 percent and organic compounds in the wastewater by up to 90 percent.
