CleanTreat by Benchmark Wins Top Aquaculture Innovation Prize at Aqua Nor

United Kingdom-based Benchmark Animal Health took home the 2019 Innovation Award at this year’s Aqua Nor event for its CleanTreat technology, a water purification system for aquaculture. 

Well boats, tankers, platforms, and onshore facilities could all potentially utilize the award-winning CleanTreat, which cleanses treatment water after delousing, according to Benchmark Animal Health. The company is showcasing CleanTreat at Aqua Nor, the world’s largest aquaculture technology exhibition, this week in Norway from 20 to 23 August.

According to Benchmark’s Head of Nordics Carolina Faune, the recognition comes as an honor and is very reassuring to the business’s mission. 

“Our goal is to help the industry grow in a sustainable way. As a green technology company, we believe sustainability is both possible and profitable – not only when using the current medicine on the market, but also when using new ones,” Faune said.  “It’s been 10 years since this project was just an idea – so there’s a lot of hard work behind the final product."

CleanTreat works to prevent medicines from sea lice bath treatments from entering the sea. The system may also be applied to treatments aimed at many other diseases and parasitic infections, Benchmark said. Since 2017, the system has been tested in Norway, supporting trials of next generation sea lice treatment and purifying more than 300,000 cubic meters of treatment water.

“Norway is, along with other regions, a major market for us. CleanTreat has been tested here, and is in use here in Norway as well. CleanTreat is now commercially available, and we expect our first deliveries next year,” Faune said.

A total of 30 applications across 11 countries, including Norway, were entered for Aqua Nor’s 2019 Innovation Award competition. Ecotone AS and Mørenot Robotics AS were among the other nominees competing for the award. As the Innovation Award winner, Benchmark was presented with NOK 100,000 (USD 11,124, EUR 10,028) in winnings and a diploma on the opening day of Aqua Nor, 20 August.  

A jury of experts judged all entrants in the competition before deciding upon CleanTreat as the 2019 winner. Among this year’s judges were Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Fund Section Manager Kjell Maroni, senior advisor Oddvar Staulen of Innovation Norway, and senior advisor Jan Henrik Sandberg of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association.

In 2017, another Scottish/U.K.-based company took home the Innovation Award, an indication to Aqua Nor that that “Scottish innovation is really making its mark internationally,” it said in a press release announcing CleanTreat’s win. 

Source : Seafoodsource