Kaldnes innovative and sustainable solutions for land-based fish farms

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), aquaculture will produce nearly two thirds of global food fish by 2030. Coastal fish farming, however, is associated with a number of problems. These include discharge of antibiotics, build-up of waste feed and faeces on the seabed, fish escapes, sea lice, and transmission of disease between farmed and wild fish.

Coastal fish farming also faces challenges with transportation costs and emissions as the farms seldom can be located near population centres. As aquaculture continue to grow, there is a need to find more environment-friendly and cost-effective solutions for fish production.

The Kaldnes® RAS portfolio includes custom-designed conventional solutions and patented standard solutions for grow-out plants for salmon, trout, kingfish and more.

Using controlled particle filtration and tailor-made biofilters, Kaldnes® RAS purify the water, recover nutrients and remove waste, enabling farmers to reuse 99.7 per cent of the water in the fish tanks.

A complete delivery typically includes fresh and seawater intake water purification, a Kaldnes® RAS solution – including pH control and water polishing loops – lighting control, fish feeding, dead fish processing, sludge treatment, water temperature control, video surveillance, fully electric automation with a control room facility, and a plant maintenance system.

Land-based fish farms can help to ease the environmental and financial challenges associated with coastal fish farming. Moreover, the high level of filtration, maximum utilisation of added oxygen, and removal of CO₂ and nitrogen offered by Kaldnes® RAS benefit fish welfare. The solutions also significantly reduce water consumption in land-based fish farms, helping to shrink their environmental footprint.

Kaldnes® RAS are compact, energy efficient, have low operating costs and are tailored to meet the needs of each customer. The solutions require little maintenance and come with an online customer support service, including remote monitoring and control.

According to the International Salmon Farmers Association, global salmon production reached USD 15.4 billion in 2016, and production is expected to continue climbing.

Kaldnes® RAS have been implemented at land-based fish farms worldwide, and are the market-leading solution for smolt and post-smolt plants in Norway.

Krüger Kaldnes, which produces Kaldnes® RAS, is the Norwegian business unit of Veolia Water Technologies. In 2019, Krüger Kaldnes joined forces with Krüger in Denmark to form a new entity, Veolia Water Technology Aquaculture. The new unit is intended to be Veolia’s global centre of excellence and expertise in aquaculture.