SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Waister transforms fish sludge into biofertiliser
- Published 17 November 2022; updated 12 June 2026; estimated reading time 3 minutes. Marked available worldwide; listed under Aquaculture and fisheries and Circular economy.
- Waister’s patented dryer is designed for wet sludge from land-based and closed-containment aquaculture, including faeces and uneaten feed. It combines mechanical fluidisation with mixing air and superheated steam to dry fish sludge, producing a nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich material intended for use as fertiliser or as a fertiliser ingredient.
- The page says conventional dryers may not handle fish sludge well and that Waister developed its system through extensive testing. It presents nutrient recovery as a way to reduce the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus to marine environments and to turn a waste stream into an agricultural input. No quantified nutrient recovery or pollution reduction is given.
- Target settings include land-based and closed-containment aquaculture, including closed systems at sea. The dried product is described as compliant with local agricultural-use regulations in key markets such as Norway, Chile and Australia. The company also serves wet food waste, breweries, marine food producers and other organic-waste generators.
- The article says the longest-running machine had exceeded 35,000 operating hours since 2021. Distributors are named in Chile, Italy and Australia, with customers in several European countries and launches planned across Africa, Asia and Oceania. The operational-hours figure and market activity are reported by the company/page.
- Linked to SDGs 9 and 12. Market discussion cites growth in aquaculture and calls for stricter environmental controls; no quantified market forecast is provided.
- Contact: Hallstein Baarset, CEO, hallstein.baarset@waister.eu. Company: WAISTER AS, Åslyveien 15, 3170 Sem, Norway; waister.eu.