Denmark-headquartered pump and mixer manufacturer Landia is championing the ensiling process for aquaculture, wherein formic acid is used to produce fish silage from fish byproducts. The process is proving to be one of the most effective methods of killing bacteria and eliminating the risk of infection from fish that don’t survive rearing facilities, the company said in a recent press release.
The aquaculture industry has been turning its attention to biosecurity and the value of byproducts as technological capacities have increased, thus creating market demand for devices such as an ensiling unit, according to Landia’s Jesper Borch Svendsen.
“Today’s breeders are far more likely to install an ensiling unit (buffer tank), which will then make it possible for the end-product to be used, for example, as a key health-boosting ingredient for pet food. In some cases, a pasteurization stage (tank) can be added so that fish waste can also be used as a fertilizer or fuel for a biogas plant,” Svendsen said.
An aquaculture company located on one of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands has installed an ensiling unit from Landia, and uses the device to create biogas from large volumes of waste salmon, Svendsen noted. To meet U.K. regulations, pasteurization is carried out for an hour at 70 degrees Celsius as part of the fish farmer’s ensiling process, he added.
“The process has proved very successful, creating a win-win partnership for the local fish businesses and for the island’s biogas plant, but it is fair to say that without the ongoing help from us as supplier, it may not have accelerated as much as it has. We all need advice and hands-on help from time to time,” Svendsen said.
Faroe Islands-based P/F Luna also recently received a new ensiling unit from Landia. As a means to withstand the acidic environment, all pump parts that come in direct contact with salmon waste have been forged in acid-proof stainless steel, the manufacturer said. Ensiling and pasteurization of fish waste is also proving increasingly popular in Canada, according to Landia.
