Copper cages from Ecosea. Photo: Ecosea.
Chile: The company managed to recycle all the copper meshes and flotation structures, which completed 12 years of useful life, reaching 420 tons of product.
By Salmonexpert
The copper industry has been working on the antimicrobial property since 2008, when it was scientifically demonstrated that alloy metal surfaces eliminated bacteria, fungi and viruses, including covid-19 and ISAV, within a few hours. Since then, copper has been used to optimize millions of products in different industries, with aquaculture being one of the least used uses.
ECOSEA envisioned this opportunity, conducted research and technological development, contributing to the productivity of the aquaculture industry and the environment with cages for the cultivation of fish in coastal areas, high energy and high seas. These cages are made with copper alloy mesh and a HDPE flotation system, which are fully recyclable, significantly reducing the industry’s impact on the seabed and the environment.
In fact, during 2020 and this year, the company has already recovered 60 systems that reached their 12-year lifespan, completely recycling 420 tons of copper alloy and HDPE, according to a press release.
“This milestone is very relevant not only because it proves that our systems allow us to develop an environmentally cleaner and more traceable aquaculture, but also that they are friendlier to the environment, generate value by being recyclable and after their useful life there is no waste, avoiding the impact to our oceans”, says Nicolás Castillo, CEO of EcoSea.
State-of-the-art aquaculture
In the last 12 years, 50 thousand tons of fish were produced in Chile using the systems developed by Ecosea. This production avoided the use of 160 tons of nylon, the generation of 8 thousand tons of fouling, which would have been deposited in landfills or the seabed, and 184 tons of chemicals used in antifouling paints. It is estimated that all these impacts prevented the emission of 10,300 tons of CO2.
“Our goal is to be a contribution to sustainable food, based on cutting-edge aquaculture that ensures the welfare of the species inside the cages and taking care of the environment and the social environment at all times,” says Castillo, adding that the The global trend points to preferring oceanic systems, “because coastal aquaculture is overexploited, generates excessive stress on fish, severe impacts on the environment and serious conflicts with communities.”
EcoSea’s Chilean technology opens up an opportunity for the aquaculture industry of the future. Its systems minimize the use of nylon mesh, the main source of pollution in the seas, are 100% recyclable and can operate continuously for a decade far from the coast, with significant benefits for the aquaculture industry and the world’s food supply. future generations.