01/04/2016: Flexicon unveils new dust-tight mobile drum tipper

Flexicon's new TIP-TITE® Mobile Drum Tipper allows dust-free transfer of bulk materials from drums into process equipment and storage vessels.

Ready to plug in and run, it is mounted on a mobile frame with quick-action floor jacks for stable operation anywhere in the plant.

A hydraulic cylinder raises the drum carriage which seals the drum rim against a discharge cone, after which a second hydraulic cylinder tips the carriage-hood assembly and drum, stopping at a predetermined dump angle of either 45, 60 or 90 degrees with a motion-dampening feature.

As the assembly approaches its fully-tipped position, the outlet of the discharge cone mates with a gasketed receiving-ring inlet fitted to existing process equipment or to the lid of an optional hopper with integral pneumatic, tubular cable or flexible screw conveyor, creating a dust-tight seal.

Once the discharge cone is seated against the gasket, a pneumatically-actuated slide gate valve opens, allowing material to enter the receiving vessel.

The unit accommodates drums from 114 to 208 litres weighing up to 340 kg and measuring 91 to 122 cm in height.

An optional pneumatically-actuated vibrator on the discharge cone promotes complete evacuation of non-free-flowing materials.

The drum tipper is available constructed of mild steel with durable industrial finishes, with material contact surfaces of stainless steel, or in all-stainless steel finished to food, dairy, pharmaceutical or industrial standards.

The company also manufactures high-lift drum tippers, drum fillers, box/container tippers, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, flexible screw conveyors, tubular cable conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, bag dump stations, weigh batching and blending systems, and engineered plant-wide bulk handling systems with automated controls.

Visit the Flexicon site HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

01/04/2016: Global Aquaculture Advocate: Dutch shellfish farmers bringing the sea onto land

Image: Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble

Oyster growers often have no other choice but to keep their enemies close, says James Wright in the Global Aquaculture Advocate.

Predators and pathogens — voracious sea stars, crabs, oyster drills and the persistent herpes virus that’s caused trouble for producers in Europe — are common and dangerous threats to their businesses.

A father-son team in the Netherlands is solving this problem not by removing the pathogen from the equation, but by removing the shellfish. Smit & Smit, which just began operations this winter, has established what they contend is the first fully land-based shellfish farm in the world. It’s located in the small town of Colijnsplaat, in the Zeeland province of western Holland.

Bivalve shellfish culture, for which there are many techniques being practiced in Europe, is a low-impact form of protein production, and is in fact seen as a net-positive for water quality, as the animals filter many gallons of water a day through their bodies, feeding on algae. So why move onto land, and indoors?

Sybe Smit, the son who’s given his father Sam’s innovative idea the energy and determination it needed to simply break ground last year, says taking full control of the shellfish’s environment has major benefits.

“We see a big opportunity,” Smit told the Advocate.

Read the full article HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

01/04/2016: Evonik starts up plant producing methionine source for shrimps

Antwerp (Image: Harshil Shah)

In Antwerp, Belgium, Evonik Industries is starting up the world’s first production plant for a new methionine source specifically for shrimps and other crustaceans. 

AQUAVI® Met-Met, the dipeptide of two DL-methionine molecules, is expected to be launched on the market in mid-2016 and will be used as an aquaculture feed additive.  

Dr Reiner Beste, Chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH, says: “With AQUAVI® Met-Met we’re extending our range of feed amino acids for animal nutrition to include another specialty with high value for our customers. This further strengthens our position as a market and technology leader.” 

“In AQUAVI® Met-Met we’re offering a cost-efficient and sustainable solution also for shrimp and crustacean farming,” says Dr Emmanuel Auer, Head of the Animal Nutrition Business Line at Evonik. 

“In view of the growing global population and limited availability of resources, this appears to us to be vitally important.” 

In 2015, no less than half of the fish, crustaceans, and shellfish consumed globally originated from aquaculture. Fishmeal being part of the feed as a protein source is a significant cost factor for farmers. Supplementation with amino acids allows significant reduction of the proportion of fishmeal in feeds, as Evonik has already demonstrated for fish farming. In addition, Evonik contributes to improved sustainability and conservation of biodiversity.  

But shrimps and crustaceans have totally different feeding habits and digestive systems compared to, for example, fish and AQUAVI® Met-Met has been developed specially for them. It is significantly less water-soluble than DL-methionine and not so easily leached out of the feed. In the digestive tract of shrimps the dipeptide breaks down and methionine becomes available for protein synthesis at exactly the right time. As feeding trials in many countries have shown, just 0.56 kg of AQUAVI® Met-Met in 1000 kg of shrimp feed results in the same growth as 1 kg of DL-methionine. This increases the efficiency and sustainability of shrimp farming.  

AQUAVI® Met-Met has already been registered as a feed additive in many countries, with more to follow. The new methionine source will initially be available for shrimps and crustaceans but its efficiency is currently being tested for other species.  

Visit the Evonik site HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news