Technology significantly reduce water consumption in marine ingredients business

af Food Nation

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The water at the Danish TripleNine plant is recycled, but fishery residues help limit the reuse of the water. Subsequently, the water undergoes a treatment that gives high water and energy consumption at the factory. As TripleNine is one of the Nordic region’s largest producers of fishmeal and oil they will now try to reduce the large water consumption together with the Danish Technological Institute.

From pilot project to lighthouse project

The project started out as a small pilot project but has now grown into a lighthouse project for the company. This means that the technology, with the support of the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food and MUDP funds, is set to be implemented on a full scale.

TripleNine’s plant is expected to be able to reduce water consumption by 50-70% annually, reduce CO2 emissions by 955 tonnes and achieve a saving of DKK 600,000-1,000,000. The technology itself is an advanced flotation technology where air bubbles cause larger fish residues and oil to accumulate on the surface as a foam fraction. Here the foam can be removed and the water can be reused more than usual. The foam can also be reused in production elsewhere.

At the same time, a sensor-based control system is being developed that enables adjustment and control of the cleaning process. As the quality of the fish varies, the quality of the water also varies, and therefore a constant cleaning process is not required.

Great future prospects

The project is expected to be completed by 2022 and has great potential. The lighthouse project aims to test new kinds of flocculants that may be suitable for use in feed and food production as well, resulting in large market potential. Traditional flocculants are forbidden to use in feed and food production, but have the ability to cause microscopic fish residues to accumulate in the surface of the water. This can also reduce water consumption because water quality remains good for a long time.