Innovating in Norway: Linde’s advanced aquaculture solutions

How Linde’s history of oxygenation technologies is shaping the future of fish farming.

Aquaculture facilities for industrial fish farming like this one in Bulandet Norway are set to grow in number and size.

Linde’s foray into aquaculture began with one man’s passion project back in the late 1980s. That man was an industrial gas salesman hooked by visions of what could become of the then small, niche Norwegian industry of on-land fish-farming. That man went on to pioneer the application of water oxygenation technology to the aquaculture sector and, in doing so, spurred the development of many successful and widely used innovations that Linde offers under its SOLVOX family today.

“That man was my father”, says Kenneth Glomset, himself an Aquaculture Technologist at Linde and one of the inventors of SOLVOX^® Oxystream and SOLVOX^® dropin: two solutions at the focal point of Linde’s current Aquaculture Research & Development (R&D) activities.

A leap in demand for aquaculture production

“I’m captured by innovation in the same way my father was,” explains Glomset, “But aquaculture is no longer a small, niche Norwegian industry!” Glomset’s claim is substantiated by the 2020 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture – also known as SOFIA 2020 – which reports that as of 2018, aquaculture accounts for over half (52%) of the total production of fish for human consumption. And with an ever-increasing global appetite for a secure source of protein, that figure is expected to rise. The report projects that by 2030, fish production via aquaculture will reach 109 million tonnes – an increase of 32% from 2018.

For the world’s fish farmers, this consistent story of upward trends spells opportunity. Eager to meet the rising demand with supply, their production operations – and ambitions – are also growing, not to mention moving.

Linde’s cutting-edge oxygenation technology is developed and tested in its state-of-the-art R&D facility in Norway.

The cutting edge of innovation right now is developing ways to create the conditions in which fish can still thrive in these enormous tanks.

“The industry is moving more and more inland,” explains Glomset. Take the case of land-farmed salmon. The Norwegian Fishing Industry in 2020 identified 85 land-based projects in the pipeline worldwide with the ambition of producing almost 1.7 million tonnes of salmon – an increase of nearly 65% on current production levels. “Many of these projects are aiming bigger and bigger in terms of the size of the tanks,” explains Glomset. “The cutting edge of innovation right now is developing ways to create the conditions in which fish can still thrive in these enormous tanks.”

Scaling up means partnering up with customers

While the technology that recreates oceanic environments for fish on land is not new, the challenge now becomes making it commercially viable on this larger scale. Since the technology simply doesn’t yet exist, farmers would have to use several smaller systems with supporting infrastructure – which very quickly becomes a non-viable business option on both the OPEX and CAPEX fronts, not to mention sustainability.

Take Linde’s SOLVOX® Oxystream for example: an industry-leading all-in-one low-pressure oxygenation and distribution solution that optimizes tank hydrodynamics. “It’s a tried and tested solution that uses an adjustable flow regime,” says Glomset. “But now we’re working on Oxystream 1800 – a recent R&D project focusing on scaling up this equipment to the size that customers require at the moment – and in the future.”

Video thumbnail — How SOLVOX® Oxystream works

I’m captured by innovation in the same way my father was

To that end, Linde’s seasoned aquaculture experts based at the dedicated, cutting-edge research and development facility in Ålesund, Norway work alongside customers to get it just right. Because getting it wrong isn’t an option: “If you’re not able to create the correct hydrodynamics in the tank, your business plan goes down the drain,” says Glomset. “And at this scale, the impact is huge. That’s why customers want to work with us in the development and design phase to ensure that they get it right from day one.”

Exploring on-demand oxygen

Linde’s aquaculture innovation doesn’t stop at scaling up for land production. From controlling the conditions in protected tanks to controlling for the perils of the open sea, the R&D team is also active in other aquaculture models like sea cages. “We’re exploring together with customers new ways of using our technology to develop efficient means of production in closed systems in the sea,” explains Glomset. And there is often good incentive for companies to do so.

An aquaculture expert about to drop in some on-demand oxygen from the floating pier at the innovation center.

We’re exploring together with customers new ways of using our technology to develop efficient means of production in closed systems in the sea,

“There is heavy investment in this sector with governments encouraging its exploration and stimulating the market by way of free concessions.” Glomset adds. As a result, companies are still undergoing trial and error to figure out the best ways to produce fish in the sea – and Linde’s experts are right there beside them.

The key is ensuring efficient production while effectively sheltering the caged population from threats in the natural environment that can severely compromise fish health and increase mortality. That includes anything from diseases to parasites such as sea lice and oxygen-depriving jelly fish blooms surrounding the perimeter of the huge nets. “On-demand oxygenation solutions like our patented SOLVOX^® dropin which is easily deployed and operated as well as highly efficient will be a vital element in overcoming the challenges of sea cage farming,” says Glomset.

Fishing downstream from the electrolyzer

“Think Linde. Think Hydrogen” goes the company’s mantra when it comes to all things hydrogen. That’s because Linde has expertise in all things hydrogen. But think hydrogen and one doesn’t immediately think aquaculture. So how does the world’s most abundant gas fit into the fish farming puzzle?

Put simply, Linde is part of a joint venture company ITM Linde that provides green hydrogen at industrial scale via electrolysis: the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using (green) electricity. “The value for the aquaculture industry is clearly as a downstream application of the oxygen,” explains Ola Ritzén, Sr business developer for green hydrogen at Linde, “But that’s not ruling out the potential use of hydrogen itself when it comes to decarbonizing fleets of distribution vehicles or indeed ships going to and from the farms,” he adds. The heat from the electrolyzer could also be channeled for controlling the water temperature in the tanks. Now that’s what you might call thinking outside of the tank.

Linde will be exhibiting these solutions and more from stand F527 at AQUA NOR – the most important meeting place for the Aquaculture technology industry – from 24 - 27 August 2021. AQUA NOR Digital 2021 is already open. Registration required.