Second sludge catcher delivered to Lerøy
Scottish Sea Farms co-owner Lerøy has taken delivery of an upgraded model of a patented sludge collector for a salmon farm cage at Angelskaar in Norway.
The panels of the cone-shaped Bio-Collector, supplied by Fjord Solutions, are sewn together in a way that allows water to flow through it but at the same time holds the sludge inside.
The collector can be integrated into the outer net of a two-net cage or connected independently to the sinker tube.
Production cycle
The first Bio-Collector was delivered to Lerøy in January 2021. It was used throughout a production cycle and collected large amounts of fish faeces and uneaten feed that would otherwise have fallen beneath the pen.
The collected sludge is pumped to a barge on the surface, and it is then filtered and turned into dry powder which can be used for production of biogas, bio diesel and fertiliser.
Fjord Solutions’ general manager Daria Lysova told Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no, said that as the previous model had collected significant amounts of sludge, the company had high expectations for the upgraded model.
The company has altered the design after input from Lerøy, including using fabric that is lighter and easier to handle, at the same time steepening the slope of the collector from 40 to 50 degrees.
Dry matter
“We will receive dry matter data in May, and we have no doubt that it will be a good result. So, this will be a new and exciting chapter for Fjord Solutions,” said Lysova, who added that since the Aqua Nor trade fair in Trondheim last August the company had had a lot of customer contact and growing interest in the market for its products.
“There is increasing pressure on farmers to find a solution for sludge collection, and there are a number of new solutions on the market today,” said Lysova.
Retrofitting
“It is good that several players in Norway are investing in finding a solution with a completely closed concept. But what is even more urgent, in my opinion, is to find a solution for lots of existing traditional cages. This is where we see interest in the market and this is where our product comes into the picture.”
Lysova said the company has been in dialogue with many large and small players who think the concept is interesting.
“We will have meetings with these in Q2 2022, when we have both dry matter data and some experience with the use of the collector. It will be good to have some data to refer to for the market and will function as a kind of ‘proof of concept’,” she said.
