Aquaculture technology allows growth without compromise 

Aquaculture has huge potential to feed the world’s growing population. The challenge is to grow aquaculture production sustainably without compromising on the environment. 

A Danish collaborative project – Inno-Tek – came up with two practical treatment technologies aimed at decoupling the growth of land-based fish farms from environmental impact caused by nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter emissions. The project ran from 2021-23.

The first solution was the use of flocculating bacteria to reduce nitrogen levels in end-of-pipe water, fast and efficiently. Using this technology, the nitrogen removal process can be reduced from 17 hours to just four. 

Secondly, the project developed a solution that draws on biodegradable flocculants and lignocellulose components to produce a much drier waste product. This makes waste streams easier and less expensive to transport and more suitable for reuse in energy production or as a fertiliser. 

Together, the cleaning solutions allowed the reactor used for nitrogen removal to be significantly reduced in size, while the dry matter content of waste was increased from five percent to 50 percent.  

The Inno-Tek project received funding from the Danish marine and fisheries development program, which supports the EU goals of intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth. The partners were DTU Aqua, Alumichem, Alpha Aqua, Dansk Akvakultur, Danforel and AquaCircle.