Maiken Foods AS Group and 350PPM Biotech signed an agreement to build the world's first onshore fish farm that will not release carbon dioxide or ammonia into the environment and will be entirely powered by solar energy. The companies will combine their respective technologies to create synergies by recycling metabolic products released by the fish to produce single-cell proteins (SCPs). The fully sustainable aquaculture production of salmon will be set up in Sines, Portugal, next year.
Maiken Foods has developed an innovative technology for farming salmon and cod in land-based fish tanks while 350PPM Biotech has established a process to produce protein-rich biomass by gas fermentation of a microorganism that is feeding solely on carbon dioxide and is powered by hydrogen created by electrolysis of water via solar energy.
Maiken Foods' proprietary RAS Recycling Aquaculture System consists of large circular tanks, each with an integrated filter module for intensive recirculation. The tanks use seawater, which is cleansed inside the tank before it is returned to the ocean. The technology also separates carbon dioxide and ammonia released by the fish.
350PPM is cultivating its bacteria in a bioreactor fed with CO2, hydrogen created on-site, and other gases. In a continuous process, the bacterial biomass is harvested to separate the protein which in turn is used as fish feed. By using the CO2 and ammonia excreted by the fish, the companies aim to establish “the world's first fully sustainable, carbon-neutral aquaculture system, entirely powered by green energy and without polluting the environment.”
The combined system is modular and can be scaled up easily. Maiken Foods' tanks operate independently (IPU – Individual Production Units), allowing for more efficient control of production and its expansion in accordance with demand growth. 350PPM's reactors will be on-site and can also be built modular in volumes up to 200,000 liters. The companies will start building their first units in 2023.
“I am very proud to be a part of this venture. I have always had a dream to construct and operate an integrated feed and aquaculture farm solely powered by solar energy. This is a dream come true,” said Arve Gravdal, CEO of Maiken Foods AS.
“This concept marks the birth of a food revolution,” said Erwin Jurtschitsch, CEO of 350PPM Biotech. “In the future, we will produce food without using agricultural land and polluting the environment and without increasing greenhouse gases. We will demonstrate that it is possible to achieve this ambitious goal by creating an integrated value chain from feed to food, solely based on renewable energy.”
