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Food, energy and circular economy
Challenges and opportunities for Norway
and salmon farming in RAS
Johan Berg Pettersen
NTNU Industrial Ecology
johan.berg.pettersen@ntnu.no
Trondheim, AquaNor 2021August 26th 2021
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Sustainability in aquaculture
Needs to
… address major global
sustainability challenges
… include consumers/citizens
and global market demands
… allow fair comparison across
products and technologies
Analytical considerations
Planetary boundaries,
UN SDGs & climate change
Sustainable consumption and
production on global scale
Life cycle thinking &
resource effectiveness
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Sustainability in aquaculture
Planetary boundaries,
UN SDGs & climate change
Sustainable consumption and
production on global scale
Life cycle thinking &
resource effectiveness
Steffen et al (2015)
Land system
change
Climate
change
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Sustainability in aquaculture
Planetary boundaries,
UN SDGs & climate change
Sustainable consumption and
production on global scale
Life cycle thinking &
resource effectiveness
8.5 mill ton CO2
Carbon footprint of
Norwegian salmonids
Nistad et al (2021)
Miljøstatus.no
Norway
industry
emissions
11.6 mill tonn
CO2e
Norway road
emissions
8.7 mill tonn
CO2e
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Sustainability in aquaculture
Planetary boundaries,
UN SDGs & climate change
Sustainable consumption and
production on global scale
Life cycle thinking &
resource effectiveness
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Sustainability in aquaculture
Planetary boundaries,
UN SDGs & climate change
Sustainable consumption and
production on global scale
Life cycle thinking &
resource effectiveness
Scope in this presentatation
energy, climate change and
circular economy
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CO2e Norwegian salmon to retailer
Feed
Norw. salmon w/ air-freight to Shanghai
Norw. salmon by truck/ferry to Warsaw
Packaging
Truck
Winther et al (2020)
Air freight
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CO2e Norwegian salmon to retailer
Winther et al (2020)
Air freight
Norw. salmon w/ air-freight to Shanghai
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CO2e Norwegian salmon feed (2017)
LUC = land use change
climate change emissions from land use changes (deforestation)
Winther et al (2020)
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CO2e Norwegian salmon feed (2017)
Proportion of
mass
Proportion of
carbon footprint
Winther et al (2020)
Marine oils
Marine protein
Crop based starch
Non-soy protein
Soy
Crop based oils
Microingredients
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Changes in feed composition, Norway 2010 - 2017
Compiled from Hognes et al
(2011) & Winther et al (2020)
Soy protein
Marine feeds
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Energy use in farming concepts
Size (kg)
kWh/kg
0
3 - 5 kWh/kg smolt in previous industry estimates
Norway average 8.8 kWh/kg smolt
14 smolt farms; Nistad (2020)
Original graph: Nistad (2020)
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Energy use in farming concepts
Size (kg)
kWh/kg
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Energy use in RAS largely underestimated
> 8 kWh/kg
Original graph: Nistad (2020)
Net-pen rearing 0.26 – 0.44 kWh/kg
70 electrified and non-elec. net pens in Trøndelag
(Møller, 2019)
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Energy use in farming concepts
Size (kg)
kWh/kg
0 4
Original graph: Nistad (2020)
Net-pen rearing 0.26 – 0.44 kWh/kg
70 electrified and non-elec. net pens in Trøndelag
(Møller, 2019)
OFFSHORE FARM 1.15 – 3.5 kWh/kg
(Jebsen, 2021)
CLOSED OFFSHORE 8.5 – 56 kWh/kg
(Jebsen, 2021)
RAS 6 – 10 kWh/kg
(Nistad 2020)
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RAS environmental benefits and costs
• Energy use
• Feed
• Grow-out emissions
Flow-through 478 tons/year (60kg/m3)
RAS model (50 kg/m3)
RAS saves
water
RAS
manages
sludge
RAS requires more
energy
Roque d’Orbcastel et al (2009)
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Salmon: chicken of the sea (for carbon footprint)
Europe,
beef
Europe,
pork
Europe,
chicken
Relative
carbont
footprint
per
kg
edible
product
Norway,
salmon
Winther et al (2020)
Norway, other seafood
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GROWTH?
Energy a challenge for decarbonization
RAS increase energy use
Novel offshore concepts increase energy use
Feeds control carbon footprint
Large need for novel (marine?) feed sources
Challenge to maintain position vs. chicken
Nutrient management
Closed concepts required for nutrient recovery
and circular economy
Local aspects & disease control
Novel concepts (should) improve local impacts
and disease control
Transport
Transport to retailer may dominate carbon
footprint (if air freight)
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Questions?
Cordel et al, 2009, The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.10.009
Gunning et al, 2016, The Development of Sustainable Saltwater-Based Food Production Systems: A Review
of Established and Novel Concepts. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8120598
Hamilton et al, 2017, Recycling potential of secondary phosphorus resources as assessed by integrating
substance flow analysis and plant-availability. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.056
Hognes et al, 2011, Carbon footprint and area use of farmed Norwegian salmon.
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2479729
Jebsen 2021. Scenarios for the Decarbonization of Energy Supply for Salmo Aquaculture in Norway. MSc
thesis at NTNU. Not yet published.
Nistad, 2020, Current and Future Energy Use for Atlantic Salmon Farming in Recirculating Aquaculture
Systems in Norway. MSc thesis at NTNU. https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2656753
Nistad et al, 2021, Potensialet for reduserte klimagassutslipp og omstilling til lavutslippsamfunnet for norsk
oppdrettsnæring. https://www.asplanviak.no/prosjekter/potensialet-for-klimakutt-i-havbruksnaeringa/
Miljøstatus.no https://miljostatus.miljodirektoratet.no/tema/klima/norske-utslipp-av-
klimagasser/klimagassutslipp-fra-transport/
Møller, 2018. Energy Demand and Electrification Potential of the Atlantic Salmon Farming Industry in
Norway. Project work at NTNU, not published.
Møller, 2019. Reduction of CO2 Emissions in the Salmon Farming Industry: The Potential for Energy
Efficiency Measures and Electrification. MSc thesis at NTNU. http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2624655
Roque d’Orbcastel et al, 2009, Towards environmentally sustainable aquaculture: Comparison between two
trout farming systems using Life Cycle Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaeng.2008.12.002
Song, Pettersen et al, 2019. Life cycle assessment of recirculating aquaculture systems: A case of Atlantic
salmon farming in China. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12845
Steffen et al, 2015, Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1259855. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/1259855
Winther et al, 2009, Carbon footprint and energy use of Norwegian seafood products. Sintef report.
Winther et al, 2020, Greenhouse gas emissions of Norwegian seafood products in 2017. Sintef report
Johan Berg Pettersen
NTNU Industrial Ecology
johan.berg.pettersen@ntnu.no
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Abstract
Provision of more food from the oceans will impose opportunities and challenges to aquaculture actors in Norway and globally.
In this presentation we highlight the core sustainability challenges for land-based salmon farming to have a role in the future
global food system and discuss these in the wider context of sustainable development, circular economy and energy-climate-
resources nexus.
Key factors and competitive advantages appear when comparing with other seafood production and animal protein production
and we specifically address in this presentation
• closed systems and water use,
• feed production and feed efficiency,
• the role of novel marine ingredients,
• transport and logistics up to consumers,
• nutrient recovery,
• product chain efficiency, and
• energy use.
As an example of the need to look across these environment issues, we may look at the link between energy use and nutrients.
Recirculation aquaculture requires more energy for water circulation and purification, yet also facilitates recovery of
phosphorus and other nutrients from sludge. Feed loss and eutrophication carry crucial sustainability impacts locally, while
energy and climate change are core national and global sustainability challenges.
Technological and strategic development of aquaculture in Norway and elsewhere will require us to understand what are core
sustainability challenges, how they are linked together, how they change with local conditions and stakeholders, and how they
may change into the future.
