Watch a video explaining how waste is collected at some marine sites in Norway.
Firm wins NOK 250,000 for helping budge the sludge from fish farms
A company involved in the collection and valorisation of sludge and ensiled fish from the Norwegian salmon farming sector has been awarded a prize and prize money of NOK 250,000 (£17,670) by state-owned business support company Siva.
The prize, intended to inspire and promote companies that are driving green change, was given to Ragn-Sells Aquaculture, part of waste recycling company Ragn-Sells.
Ragn-Sells Aquaculture collects sludge and silage - offal, organic waste and dead fish which are preserved through a fermentation process and the addition of 3% acid - for the production of biogas and fertiliser for agriculture.
Recovering phosphorus
Its subsidiary, EasyMining, has developed a patented technology for the recovery of pure phosphorus and nitrogen from sludge originating in aquaculture.
Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource that is currently extracted through resource-intensive mining, for example in Russia, Western Sahara and China. Extraction requires high consumption of water, energy and transport.
Ragn-Sells has also developed ARAL, a collaboration with various players in the sludge collection and processing field, including EasyMining.
“Ragn-Sells’ aquaculture solutions support the Government’s business policy goals by contributing to increased value creation in the Norwegian economy, increased sustainability in the aquaculture industry, increased investment in new companies, more jobs, and increased exports from mainland Norway,” said Tomas Norvoll, state secretary (junior minister) in the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries.
The company’s efforts to build new value chains for the treatment and further development of sludge were an excellent example of how small and medium-sized companies can drive forward a green transition, said Siva chief executive Jan Morten Ertsaas.
Ole Arthur Vaage, product development manager for Ragn-Sells Aquaculture, said: “This recognition motivates us to continue our work on developing sustainable solutions for the aquaculture industry. We see this as proof that our efforts make a difference, both for the environment and for Norwegian business.”
Energy for 600,000 homes
At a conference in March, Ragn-Sells Aquaculture chief executive Irja Sunde Roiha said Norway's fish farm waste was a resource with huge potential.
"If you look into Norway, there is enough sludge that is produced every year to provide energy for 600,000 households. If we manage to extract the phosphorus, it's equivalent to 11,000 tonnes that could be reused for new feed ingredients," she explained.
