New method developed to clean bath treatment water
A technological-chemical method of neutralising hydrogen peroxide in water used in salmon bath treatments has been developed by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA).
NIVA researcher Dr Pernilla Marianne Carlson told the Lice Conference 2021 that experiments have shown that a standard treatment solution with hydrogen peroxide for use against salmon lice must be diluted 11,000 times so that the solution is no longer dangerous for what are called non-target organisms, ie, organisms you do not want to affect. Both algae and crustaceans such as shrimp and krill have been shown to be sensitive.
Niva has, among other things, tested several different types of chemical that can be added to the bath water. One, known as Component A, has been shown to meet many requirements, although one downside is that it is sensitive to temperature.
Removes oxygen
“Another disadvantage is that it also removes the oxygen in the water. The advantage is that it removes hydrogen peroxide quickly and that other water parameters, apart from oxygen, stay well,” said Carlson.
She pointed out that it is undesirable to release oxygen-free water, so it is something that had to be solved before the method is fully developed. NIVA has applied for a patent for the method.
