May | June 2012

Feature title: Oxygenation technology poised to transform aquaculture worldwide

The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

International Aquafeed is published five times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom.All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies, the publishers accept no liability for any errors or omissions or for the consequences of action taken on the basis of information published. ©Copyright 2012 Perendale Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Printed by Perendale Publishers Ltd. ISSN: 1464-0058

Interest is burgeoning in a unique newlow-pressure oxygenation system thatis poised to transform the world ofaquaculture.

Theuniquenessofthetechnologyisbasedonitsabilitytoperformthreecriticalfunctionsin one system— dissolving oxygen in thewater, producing the correct hydrodynamicsand stripping out potentially harmful inertgases like nitrogen—via a very lowenergyrequirement. Moreover, the system is easilyinstalled,includingasaretrofittoexistingfishtanks,andisvirtuallymaintenance-free.

SOLVOX® OxyStream, developed byLindeGasand launched inAugust2011,hasbeenproventoimprovethelivingconditionsoffishinsidethetank,allowingforasignificantincrease in fish production volume, optimisefish meat quality and considerably improveoperationsfromanenvironmentalstandpoint.

Aquaculture,alsoknownasaquafarming,isthedisciplineofcommerciallyfarmingaquaticorganisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscsandaquaticplants..Aquaculture involvescul-tivating freshwater and saltwater populationsunder controlled conditions – in contrast tocommercialfishing,whichistheharvestingofwildmarinefish.

TheLindetechnologyhasbeendevelopedinresponsetoaprogressivetrendthatissee-

ing aquaculture production being transferredfrom sea cages to land-based sites for thefull duration of a marine fish’s lifecycle. Thischangehas confronted the industrywith thechallengeofoxygenating large fish tanks thatcanaccommodate fish stock from infancy tomaturity.

Theground-breakingpatentedSOLVOX®OxyStream is a combined oxygenation andflow system which not only dissolves theoptimalamountofoxygen inthe inletwaterflow,butalsodistributesitevenlyatanadjust-able flowpattern through the tank, ensuringfish stock benefit from the physical exercise

involvedinswimmingagainstthecurrent.Theflowregimecanbefullytailoredaccordingtofish size, stock density and fish species, suchas salmon or cod. The system comprises astandaloneunit and is installed individually ineach tank, sowater flowandoxygendosingcanbeindividuallycontrolledforeachtank.

Themicro-bubblescreatedbySOLVOX®OxyStream have the additional benefit ofhelping to reduce the concentration of dis-solved inertgasessuchasnitrogenorargon.Inparticular,oversaturationofnitrogen,evenin relatively small quantities, can endangerthe wellbeing of fish stock, slowing growthand increasing the possibility of disease, andultimately,evenmortality.WiththeinstallationofSOLVOX®OxyStream,externaldegassing

units to prevent inert gas build-up will, inmanycases,becomeobsolete.

Depending on the application, pumpingpressuresaslowas0.05to0.2bararenormal-lysufficienttooxygenatetheincomingwater,stripnitrogenandcreateoptimaltankhydro-dynamics.Thislowoperatingpressuremakesthe system very energy efficient.OxyStreamalsorequiresverylowmaintenance,becauseitisnotassociatedwithanyancillaryequipmenttomanagewaterpressure.

Producing fish in captivityAquacultureusingseacagescameinto its

ownas recentlyas the1980s,when the fishindustry recognised it would be more costeffective to produce fish in captivity in theoceanratherthantotrawlforwildfish.Todayaquaculture is moving to on-land farming,withthemostsignificant inroadsbeingmadeinNorway,wherethereisamassivedemandforsalmonandcod.Thisplacesanenormousburden on farmers to produce fish moreefficientlyandcosteffectively.

Thelimitationwithaconventionalon-landtankistheamountofoxygenavailabletothefish.Watercanonlyprovideacertainamountofoxygen,whichisquicklyrespired,sothereis aneed toprovideanadditional sourceofoxygen.

SOLVOX® OxyStream is able to effi-

Oxygenation technology poised to

transform aquaculture worldwideby Stefan Dullstein, Head of Industrial Segment Aquaculture & Water Treatment, Linde Gases Division, Germany

BOC, a member of the Linde Group, leads the

SOLVOX OxyStream from a UK perspective.

12 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

FEATURE

May-June 2012 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 13

Interest is burgeoning in a unique newlow-pressure oxygenation system thatis poised to transform the world ofaquaculture.

Theuniquenessofthetechnologyisbasedonitsabilitytoperformthreecriticalfunctionsin one system— dissolving oxygen in thewater, producing the correct hydrodynamicsand stripping out potentially harmful inertgases like nitrogen—via a very lowenergyrequirement. Moreover, the system is easilyinstalled,includingasaretrofittoexistingfishtanks,andisvirtuallymaintenance-free.

SOLVOX® OxyStream, developed byLindeGasand launched inAugust2011,hasbeenproventoimprovethelivingconditionsoffishinsidethetank,allowingforasignificantincrease in fish production volume, optimisefish meat quality and considerably improveoperationsfromanenvironmentalstandpoint.

Aquaculture,alsoknownasaquafarming,isthedisciplineofcommerciallyfarmingaquaticorganisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscsandaquaticplants..Aquaculture involvescul-tivating freshwater and saltwater populationsunder controlled conditions – in contrast tocommercialfishing,whichistheharvestingofwildmarinefish.

TheLindetechnologyhasbeendevelopedinresponsetoaprogressivetrendthatissee-

ing aquaculture production being transferredfrom sea cages to land-based sites for thefull duration of a marine fish’s lifecycle. Thischangehas confronted the industrywith thechallengeofoxygenating large fish tanks thatcanaccommodate fish stock from infancy tomaturity.

Theground-breakingpatentedSOLVOX®OxyStream is a combined oxygenation andflow system which not only dissolves theoptimalamountofoxygen inthe inletwaterflow,butalsodistributesitevenlyatanadjust-able flowpattern through the tank, ensuringfish stock benefit from the physical exercise

involvedinswimmingagainstthecurrent.Theflowregimecanbefullytailoredaccordingtofish size, stock density and fish species, suchas salmon or cod. The system comprises astandaloneunit and is installed individually ineach tank, sowater flowandoxygendosingcanbeindividuallycontrolledforeachtank.

Themicro-bubblescreatedbySOLVOX®OxyStream have the additional benefit ofhelping to reduce the concentration of dis-solved inertgasessuchasnitrogenorargon.Inparticular,oversaturationofnitrogen,evenin relatively small quantities, can endangerthe wellbeing of fish stock, slowing growthand increasing the possibility of disease, andultimately,evenmortality.WiththeinstallationofSOLVOX®OxyStream,externaldegassing

units to prevent inert gas build-up will, inmanycases,becomeobsolete.

Depending on the application, pumpingpressuresaslowas0.05to0.2bararenormal-lysufficienttooxygenatetheincomingwater,stripnitrogenandcreateoptimaltankhydro-dynamics.Thislowoperatingpressuremakesthe system very energy efficient.OxyStreamalsorequiresverylowmaintenance,becauseitisnotassociatedwithanyancillaryequipmenttomanagewaterpressure.

Producing fish in captivityAquacultureusingseacagescameinto its

ownas recentlyas the1980s,when the fishindustry recognised it would be more costeffective to produce fish in captivity in theoceanratherthantotrawlforwildfish.Todayaquaculture is moving to on-land farming,withthemostsignificant inroadsbeingmadeinNorway,wherethereisamassivedemandforsalmonandcod.Thisplacesanenormousburden on farmers to produce fish moreefficientlyandcosteffectively.

Thelimitationwithaconventionalon-landtankistheamountofoxygenavailabletothefish.Watercanonlyprovideacertainamountofoxygen,whichisquicklyrespired,sothereis aneed toprovideanadditional sourceofoxygen.

SOLVOX® OxyStream is able to effi-

Oxygenation technology poised to

transform aquaculture worldwideby Stefan Dullstein, Head of Industrial Segment Aquaculture & Water Treatment, Linde Gases Division, Germany

BOC, a member of the Linde Group, leads the

SOLVOX OxyStream from a UK perspective.

12 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

FEATURE

May-June 2012 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 13

cientlyoxygenateseawaterandcanaddi-tionally be used during the fresh waterphase of salmon. This allows fish farmerstooperate a singleoxygenation system inlarge tanks which can run on both freshwater and sea water. This significantlyreducescostscomparedwithrunningsep-arate saline and fresh water oxygenationsystems.

Thiscapabilitywasrecentlydemonstratedduring trials conducted atMarineHarvest inNorway,theworld’slargestsalmonproducer.Results showed that SOLVOX® OxyStreamwastheonlyoxygenationsourcesuitableforrearingyoungsalmonhatchedintanksrunningon freshwater,beforegradually transitioningthemtoseawater.Thiscreatesanoptimumenvironment inwhichtorearsalmon,ensur-ingthecorrectoxygen levelsthroughouttheentire production period and keeping fishstresslevelstoanabsoluteminimum.

By precisely predicting flow velocitySOLVOX®OxyStream is able to adjust thisvelocity in the circular on-land tanks. Thefish, depending on their age and size, needacertainwatervelocity foroptimumgrowthconditions,soifthevelocityisincorrect,thefishwon’texercise,soit’s importanttoapplythecorrectwatervelocityineachapplicationto keep them ‘workingout’ against a robustcurrent.

Parallel developmentTypically,aquaculturefarmershavegrown

salmonfromeggstoabout100ginweightinsmall to mid-sized tanks. Once the fish areacclimatisedtoseawaterconditions,theyareusuallytransferredtoseacages.

This method has been constrained bysome major challenges as there is alwaysthe potential for break-outs, allowing valu-ablestocktoescape,whilethehighdensity

of fish in this natural environment has thepotential to foster diseases. So it makessense to govern the entire lifecycle onland, where the health of the fish and theenvironment can be managed with morecontrol.

Although themethodwasmootedas farbackas tenyearsago,at that timethecostswere prohibitive owing to the high energyrequired to pump water through the dis-

"Interest is burgeoning in a unique new low-pressure oxygenation system that

is poised to transform the world of aquaculture. The uniqueness of the

technology is based on its ability to perform

three critical functions in one system— dissolving

oxygen in the water, producing the correct

hydrodynamics and stripping out potentially harmful inert gases like

nitrogen — via a very low energy requirement"

12 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012 May-June 2012 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 13

FEATURE

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species-specifi c digestibility enhancers to convert nutrients more effi ciently into gain

AQUAGEST® S for shrimpEnhancing hepatopancreas function, reducing cholesterol requirements

AQUAGEST® OMF for tilapia and catfi shImproving growth, feed conversion and fi lleting yield

AQUAGEST® CAF for marine fi sh and salmonidsDigestive aid to support fi sh meal replacement

www.nutriad.com

48 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

IAF12.03.indd 49 14/05/2012 18:10

solversoperatedathigherpressureintolandtanksanddissolveoxygeninthewater.TodaySOLVOX®OxyStream,withitsunprecedent-edlowenergydemand,makesthispossible.

Furthermore, new legislation imminent inNorway will allow farmers to develop fishtoasizeof1000gonland,meaningawholenew market has opened for us. Research isalready underway to investigate the on-landdevelopmentoffishupto4to5kg,harnessingourtechnology.

The largest tank equipped so far withSOLVOX® OxyStream is 15m in diam-eter, but aquaculture farmers are looking toincreasethesizeoftanks–uptoaround20to25mindiameter.

Immense interestThe industryhas responded to the intro-

ductionofthissystemwithimmenseinterestand the Linde team currently has about 20units piloting at customer sites, with manymore proposals out there. It has fieldedenquiries from North America, the UK,Norway,FranceandevenfromSaudiArabia.

Withinterestlevelssohigh,Lindehashadto accelerate its activities to meet customerdemand. As a customised solution, it is nota simplematterof ‘plug andplay’. Each cus-tomer application needs to be approachedfrom a unique perspective, needing profes-sional,tailoredinput.

To showcase its technology in action,LindeisconstructingabrandnewtestcentreinNorwaywhere customerswill be able tosee SOLVOX® OxyStream in action as itoperates in windowed tanks. Training andequipment testing will also be carried outusingthenewcentreasabase.

EnvironmentWiththeocean’sreservesoffishsteadily

depletingand thedemand for fishproductsontheincrease,addingmoreseacagesalongthe world’s coastlines is not an adequatesolution.

In this scenario not all the fish feeddeployed to the sea cages is converted tofishmeat—thereisalotofwastage.Atthesametime,alargeamountoffishexcrementreleased in a specific area tends to over-fertilisetheecosystem.

By comparison, the producing frominfancytomaturityinon-landtankshassig-nificant environmental benefits. The waterflowing through fish tanks can be recycledto a high extentwith excrement and feedresidues filtered out effectively. As such,pollution to the marine environment andthe possible spread of disease to wild fishisprevented.

Diseases canbeproperlyhandled in landbasedtanks.Fishfarmersusingseacagesmayneed to chemically treat the fish to get ridof sea-lice and this is prejudicial both to theenvironmentandtothefishthemselves.Sea-licearenotan issue inrecirculationtanks,astheseparasitescannotget intothesysteminthefirstplace.

There are other advantages. Fish bred inaquaculture are, in many cases, geneticallydifferenttowildfish,sowhenthereisabreak-outandfishescapeintotheocean,thiscouldhaveanimpactonthegeneticsofnaturalfishpopulation.

AtechnologylikeSOLVOX®OxyStreamwas unquestionably needed to ensure thefuture success of the growing land-basedaquaculture industry. However, it’s not

the end of the story. Although it is themost advancedequipment available to thisindustry at this time, Linde is convincedthat it can improve the technology evenfurther and research anddevelopmentwillbe ongoing to maintain their position as aleaderinthefield.

The futureEnvisaging a bright future for SOLVOX®

OxyStream,Lindebelievesthevigorousinter-estbeingshownbyaquaculturefarmersisjustthetipoftheiceberg.

Norway’s fish farming industry, whichis the most industrialised in the world,but by no means the biggest, producesabout onemillion tons of salmon a year,butglobaltonnage–includingallfishspe-cies, molluscs, croustades, and others, isashighas50mtonsperyear.The largestaquaculture industry is in China, whichproducesabout70percentoftheworld’sfarmedfish.

However, the industry in China tendsto comprise many small, family ownedcompanies, using a low levelof technology.Therefore, from a cost perspective alone,soonerorlaterChinawillbegintoindustri-aliseitsaquacultureindustry. ■

"The industry has

responded to the

introduction of this system

with immense interest

and the Linde team

currently has about 20

units piloting at customer

sites, with many more

proposals out there. It

has fielded enquiries

from North America, the

UK, Norway, France and

even from Saudi Arabia"

More inforMation:For further information from BOC, please contact Keith Nicholson, on +44 1844 253195 or email Keith.Nicholson@boc.com

14 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

FEATURE

48 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

IAF12.03.indd 49 14/05/2012 18:10

solversoperatedathigherpressureintolandtanksanddissolveoxygeninthewater.TodaySOLVOX®OxyStream,withitsunprecedent-edlowenergydemand,makesthispossible.

Furthermore, new legislation imminent inNorway will allow farmers to develop fishtoasizeof1000gonland,meaningawholenew market has opened for us. Research isalready underway to investigate the on-landdevelopmentoffishupto4to5kg,harnessingourtechnology.

The largest tank equipped so far withSOLVOX® OxyStream is 15m in diam-eter, but aquaculture farmers are looking toincreasethesizeoftanks–uptoaround20to25mindiameter.

Immense interestThe industryhas responded to the intro-

ductionofthissystemwithimmenseinterestand the Linde team currently has about 20units piloting at customer sites, with manymore proposals out there. It has fieldedenquiries from North America, the UK,Norway,FranceandevenfromSaudiArabia.

Withinterestlevelssohigh,Lindehashadto accelerate its activities to meet customerdemand. As a customised solution, it is nota simplematterof ‘plug andplay’. Each cus-tomer application needs to be approachedfrom a unique perspective, needing profes-sional,tailoredinput.

To showcase its technology in action,LindeisconstructingabrandnewtestcentreinNorwaywhere customerswill be able tosee SOLVOX® OxyStream in action as itoperates in windowed tanks. Training andequipment testing will also be carried outusingthenewcentreasabase.

EnvironmentWiththeocean’sreservesoffishsteadily

depletingand thedemand for fishproductsontheincrease,addingmoreseacagesalongthe world’s coastlines is not an adequatesolution.

In this scenario not all the fish feeddeployed to the sea cages is converted tofishmeat—thereisalotofwastage.Atthesametime,alargeamountoffishexcrementreleased in a specific area tends to over-fertilisetheecosystem.

By comparison, the producing frominfancytomaturityinon-landtankshassig-nificant environmental benefits. The waterflowing through fish tanks can be recycledto a high extentwith excrement and feedresidues filtered out effectively. As such,pollution to the marine environment andthe possible spread of disease to wild fishisprevented.

Diseases canbeproperlyhandled in landbasedtanks.Fishfarmersusingseacagesmayneed to chemically treat the fish to get ridof sea-lice and this is prejudicial both to theenvironmentandtothefishthemselves.Sea-licearenotan issue inrecirculationtanks,astheseparasitescannotget intothesysteminthefirstplace.

There are other advantages. Fish bred inaquaculture are, in many cases, geneticallydifferenttowildfish,sowhenthereisabreak-outandfishescapeintotheocean,thiscouldhaveanimpactonthegeneticsofnaturalfishpopulation.

AtechnologylikeSOLVOX®OxyStreamwas unquestionably needed to ensure thefuture success of the growing land-basedaquaculture industry. However, it’s not

the end of the story. Although it is themost advancedequipment available to thisindustry at this time, Linde is convincedthat it can improve the technology evenfurther and research anddevelopmentwillbe ongoing to maintain their position as aleaderinthefield.

The futureEnvisaging a bright future for SOLVOX®

OxyStream,Lindebelievesthevigorousinter-estbeingshownbyaquaculturefarmersisjustthetipoftheiceberg.

Norway’s fish farming industry, whichis the most industrialised in the world,but by no means the biggest, producesabout onemillion tons of salmon a year,butglobaltonnage–includingallfishspe-cies, molluscs, croustades, and others, isashighas50mtonsperyear.The largestaquaculture industry is in China, whichproducesabout70percentoftheworld’sfarmedfish.

However, the industry in China tendsto comprise many small, family ownedcompanies, using a low levelof technology.Therefore, from a cost perspective alone,soonerorlaterChinawillbegintoindustri-aliseitsaquacultureindustry. ■

"The industry has

responded to the

introduction of this system

with immense interest

and the Linde team

currently has about 20

units piloting at customer

sites, with many more

proposals out there. It

has fielded enquiries

from North America, the

UK, Norway, France and

even from Saudi Arabia"

More inforMation:For further information from BOC, please contact Keith Nicholson, on +44 1844 253195 or email Keith.Nicholson@boc.com

14 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2012

FEATURE

www.aquafeed.co.uk

LINKS

• Seethefullissue• VisittheInternationalAquafeedwebsite

• ContacttheInternationalAquafeedTeam

• SubscribetoInternationalAquafeed

VOLUME 15 I S SUE 3 2 012

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AQUACULTURE FEED INDUSTRY

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Oxygenation technology– poised to transform aquaculture worldwide

Ornamental fish and invertebrates for home aquaria

Brewers’ yeast as a supplement in aquaculture

IAF12.03.indd 1 14/05/2012 18:05

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