{"id":4599,"date":"2023-06-15T12:36:54","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T10:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/?p=4599"},"modified":"2023-08-16T13:43:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T11:43:14","slug":"biochar-fishsludge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/bioretur\/aktuelt\/biochar-fishsludge\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Biochar Really a Good Utilization of Fish Sludge?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='bloggspalte'  class='avia-section av-wuau2k-ef100ae93c4d63f8d966a92a1f89c882 main_color avia-section-small avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4599'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-uutj6k-2960d4f5c0c5dcaeea5efbf5a576633f\">\n.flex_column.av-uutj6k-2960d4f5c0c5dcaeea5efbf5a576633f{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-uutj6k-2960d4f5c0c5dcaeea5efbf5a576633f av_two_third  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-si5oyk-061f442c2c6996b3bf7a809aff42c708\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-si5oyk-061f442c2c6996b3bf7a809aff42c708{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-si5oyk-061f442c2c6996b3bf7a809aff42c708 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-2  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2arxi4-9ccdfac743c04e4fe83918bd400631cc\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-2arxi4-9ccdfac743c04e4fe83918bd400631cc{\npadding-bottom:20px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-2arxi4-9ccdfac743c04e4fe83918bd400631cc .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-2arxi4-9ccdfac743c04e4fe83918bd400631cc .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-2arxi4-9ccdfac743c04e4fe83918bd400631cc av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_social_share '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Is Biochar Really a Good Utilization of Fish Sludge?<\/h1><div class='av-subheading av-subheading_below'><p>&#8211; What do the researchers say?<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-q0lvv0-3eaad6679aa65c6406fa6655831f6419 av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_hr  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><div class=\"av-share-box\"><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/bioretur\/aktuelt\/biochar-fishsludge\/&#038;t=Is%20Biochar%20Really%20a%20Good%20Utilization%20of%20Fish%20Sludge%3F' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Is%20Biochar%20Really%20a%20Good%20Utilization%20of%20Fish%20Sludge%3F&#038;url=https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/?p=4599' data-av_icon='\ue932' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on X'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on X<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=Is%20Biochar%20Really%20a%20Good%20Utilization%20of%20Fish%20Sludge%3F&#038;url=https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/bioretur\/aktuelt\/biochar-fishsludge\/' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-reddit avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Reddit\" href='https:\/\/reddit.com\/submit?url=https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/bioretur\/aktuelt\/biochar-fishsludge\/&#038;title=Is%20Biochar%20Really%20a%20Good%20Utilization%20of%20Fish%20Sludge%3F' data-av_icon='\ue927' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Reddit'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Reddit<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-nw4r7g-f2778ff2a6d0410fc69d0899f67c241b\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-nw4r7g-f2778ff2a6d0410fc69d0899f67c241b{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-nw4r7g-f2778ff2a6d0410fc69d0899f67c241b hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_social_share  el_before_av_image '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-m0x4q4-0593260c8753db9aab822920ac8dddd5\">\n.avia-image-container.av-m0x4q4-0593260c8753db9aab822920ac8dddd5 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-m0x4q4-0593260c8753db9aab822920ac8dddd5 .av-caption-image-overlay-bg{\nopacity:0.4;\nbackground-color:#000000;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-m0x4q4-0593260c8753db9aab822920ac8dddd5 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-m0x4q4-0593260c8753db9aab822920ac8dddd5 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  noHover av-overlay-on-hover'   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay\"><div class=\"av-caption-image-overlay-bg\"><\/div><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay-position\"><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay-center\"><p>Poor circular economy: Biochar should be produced from materials with low nutrient content (high C\/N ratio) and low alternative value. Most of the nitrogen in fish sludge will be lost through pyrolysis gas. Phosphorus will remain in the biochar, but it will be converted into poorly soluble calcium phosphates, preventing phosphorus from returning to the cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><img data-opt-id=344771639  decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-4755 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4755 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg\" alt='' title='Pileofchar-lowres'  height=\"1247\" width=\"2000\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 705w, https:\/\/bioretur.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pileofchar-lowres.jpg 2x\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-lf0dnw-47e0b3c38e7773a3d46974febd54b7a1\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-lf0dnw-47e0b3c38e7773a3d46974febd54b7a1{\nheight:40px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-lf0dnw-47e0b3c38e7773a3d46974febd54b7a1 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-iokzxo-6155cad98237428d412c7638e5736423 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>Lately, there has been a lot of talk about pyrolysis and biochar in relation to sustainable management of sludge from the aquaculture industry. Large-scale investments in the range of hundreds of millions are being planned, which require extensive work in logistics, infrastructure, and the development of new value chains. But is this really the most sustainable and rational way to utilize the resources? Does it solve a waste problem, what is legal, and what might potentially be lost in the process?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-i3y43w-cd3454e33a071c0d8100770a117a290a\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-i3y43w-cd3454e33a071c0d8100770a117a290a{\nheight:25px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-i3y43w-cd3454e33a071c0d8100770a117a290a hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-f8tmf0-cae1d0b1dec8eb22d303022e155e3898 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>We have spoken with Eva Brod and Erik Joner, both researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy (NIBIO). NIBIO has conducted several national studies on the use of fish sludge as fertilizer, as well as national and international studies on biochar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1.<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>In what way is fish sludge a valuable resource for plants? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eva: Fish sludge is highly nutritious. It contains a significant amount of nitrogen, which is the nutrient that drives plant growth. Fish sludge is also rich in phosphorus, another important plant nutrient. In mineral fertilizers, phosphorus comes from raw phosphate, which is limited on a global scale. By using fish sludge as fertilizer in agriculture, nitrogen and phosphorus are returned to the nutrient cycle. Additionally, fish sludge contributes organic matter to the soil, which can enhance carbon sequestration and improve soil quality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. How do the different nutrients in fish sludge get affected in a typical pyrolysis process? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eva: Most of the nitrogen in fish sludge will be lost through the pyrolysis gas. Phosphorus will remain in the biochar, but it will be converted into poorly soluble calcium phosphates, preventing phosphorus from returning to the cycle. The higher the temperature used in the pyrolysis process, the more insoluble the phosphorus in the biochar becomes. This means that even if biochar based on fish sludge is applied to the soil, the phosphorus will not return to the nutrient cycle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Do heavy metals like zinc and cadmium disappear in the pyrolysis process, making biochar safe for use as fertilizer? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eva: Zinc and cadmium will also remain in the biochar, similar to phosphorus. When fish sludge is pyrolyzed, the heavy metals are concentrated in the biochar because a part of the dry matter in the sludge turns into gas during the pyrolysis process. Most biochar based on fish sludge will therefore fall into quality class III according to the Fertilizer Regulations and is not permitted for use in agriculture. Some may even fall outside quality class III.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Considering your research on fish sludge as fertilizer, how can fish sludge be best utilized? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eva: Based on the available options that are economically viable today, I believe it is best to utilize dried fish sludge as fertilizer. Dried fish sludge should be combined with other nitrogen and potassium sources to balance the nutrient ratio in the sludge, for example, with mineral NK fertilizers. Dried fish sludge should be transported to areas where there is a need for phosphorus. At NIBIO, we are currently working on making phosphorus in dried fish sludge more plant-accessible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. What role does the production and use of biochar have in the future circular economy? <\/strong><em>(What should biochar be made from and how can it be used?)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Erik: Biochar should be made from materials with low nutrient content (high C\/N ratio) and low alternative value. There will be increasing competition for resources such as wood chips and other wood-based waste fractions, but ash-rich fractions (wood with a lot of bark, etc.) often have low alternative value and are best suited for pyrolysis. In addition to being a poor utilization of nutrients, pyrolyzing manure and sludge also leads to reduced food supply for organisms living in the soil. They do not derive any nutrients from biochar. For some types of organic waste, the content of organic pollutants and\/or plastics is so high that it should not be spread in the soil (e.g., rejects from biogas). In such cases, pyrolysis can be used as a method for destroying unwanted substances, while the biochar can still be used in the soil.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Any other aspects you would like to highlight on this topic? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Erik: Materials to be pyrolyzed should have inherent porosity to function well as biochar in the soil. Pyrolyzed sludge has scored low in this aspect in some cases and may not achieve the same price in a quality-conscious market.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A big thank you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nibio.no\/en\/employees\/eva-brod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Eva Brod<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nibio.no\/en\/employees\/erik-j.joner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Erik Joner<\/a> for their participation in the interview!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1ghe8s-3f79dd77c03e9b5c6ecb4642669f3705\">\n.flex_column.av-1ghe8s-3f79dd77c03e9b5c6ecb4642669f3705{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-1ghe8s-3f79dd77c03e9b5c6ecb4642669f3705 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-36wz0n-6c4a5682a06d458255b22ae674aaf836\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-36wz0n-6c4a5682a06d458255b22ae674aaf836{\nheight:850px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-36wz0n-6c4a5682a06d458255b22ae674aaf836 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-12  el_before_av_icon_box  avia-builder-el-first  av-small-hide av-mini-hide'><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-livepboq-8539a50f2c848ab110f1b896b1ee540b\">\n.iconbox.av-livepboq-8539a50f2c848ab110f1b896b1ee540b .iconbox_icon{\nbackground-color:#e8730d;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .iconbox.av-livepboq-8539a50f2c848ab110f1b896b1ee540b .iconbox_content_title{\ncolor:#e8730d;\n}\n<\/style>\n<article  class='iconbox iconbox_top av-livepboq-8539a50f2c848ab110f1b896b1ee540b  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_icon_box  main_color'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Icon: Pyrolysis\"><div class='iconbox_icon heading-color avia-iconfont avia-font-entypo-fontello' data-av_icon='\ue81c' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><h3 class='iconbox_content_title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >Pyrolysis<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">A process where organic material is exposed to very high heat without oxygen. This results in the breakdown of the material into smaller components such as gas, oil, and solid residue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">These components can be used for various purposes through extensive processing. For example, the gas can be used as an energy source, the oil can be used as fuel or for the production of chemicals, and the solid residue can be used to create biochar.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><br \/>\n<article  class='iconbox iconbox_top av-liver2bx-d5b2fa5d0800619c5115463b1b2f1151  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_icon_box  avia-builder-el-last  main_color'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Icon: Circular Economy\"><div class='iconbox_icon heading-color avia-iconfont avia-font-entypo-fontello' data-av_icon='\ue81c' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><h3 class='iconbox_content_title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >Circular Economy<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">The goal of the circular economy is to reduce waste, conserve resources, and limit our environmental impact. Instead of losing valuable nutrients through waste or pollution, we strive to keep them within the cycle and reuse them in production.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Fish sludge contains important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which are particularly valuable when utilizing the sludge as a component in fertilizer products. This can reduce the reliance on artificial fertilizers, which use phosphate rock as a source of phosphorus. Phosphate rock is an imported resource that is expected to become scarce in the future.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This has led to highly fluctuating fertilizer prices and raised environmental and ethical concerns regarding the use of phosphate rock.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is using fish sludge in biochar actually the most sustainable and rational way to utilize resources? Does it solve a waste problem, what is allowed, and what potentially disappears in the process? The experts provide answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":123,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[193,101,195,196,103,197,194],"class_list":["post-4599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-aquaculture-en","tag-bio-char","tag-fish-farming-en","tag-fish-sludge-en","tag-pyrolysis","tag-sludge-treatment-en","tag-sustainability-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioretur.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}