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7/29/2019 Environemnt

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Controlled Environment Agriculture(crop production)

A.J. Both

Associate Professor and Extension Specialist

Department of Environmental Sciences

Rutgers, The State University of NJ

[email protected]

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng

Why do we need controlled environments?

Overcome the vagaries of outside weather

Higher production on a smaller footprint

Containment (moving to zero-discharge)

Automation

Maintain year-round local production:

Fresh products

Reduced transportation costs Produce: increased food safety

Provide jobs for skilled labor

Special applications: life support


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Fruits and VegetablesFruits and Vegetables

FloricultureFloriculture


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Growth chambersGrowth chambers

Tissue CultureTissue Culture


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CEA industry challenges

Design of structures

Labor versus technology

Energy use and efficiency

Water supply and quality

Investment costs

Local, state, and federal regulations

Education/training of (future) operators

Funding for research and development

Structures and glazingStructures and glazing


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LaborLabor

TechnologyTechnology


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VentilationVentilation

HeatingHeating


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Alternative energy:wood pellets

1717 MBtuMBtu/hr (510 hp)/hr (510 hp)Biomass boilerBiomass boiler


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250 kW microturbine operated on landfill gas

Location: Rutgers EcoComplex

Supplemental LightingSupplemental Lighting


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TransportationTransportation

Irrigation and FertigationIrrigation and Fertigation


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RecirculatingRecirculating systems:systems:

Ebb and Flood FloorsEbb and Flood Floors

Water quantity and quality

Eurofresh Farms, Willcox AZ , 320 acres total


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New ideas forNew ideas for

commercial CEAcommercial CEAcrop productioncrop production

Closed greenhouses

Innogrow: Gesloten KasUses a heat pump, (underground) cold and

warm water storage, and heat exchangers20% higher crop production

(CO2 = 1,000 mol/mol, RH = 75-90%)80-100% reduction in crop protection30-40% energy savings (heat storage)40-50% less water use

(recovery of evapotranspiration)


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Heating mode

Cooling mode

http://www.innogrow.com/

ClosedGreenhouse

Energy producing greenhouses

Sonneveld at al., 2007. Wageningen University.

Elkas


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Algae production for biofuel

Valcent Products, Inc.

LED lighting

http://www.lioris.nl/


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Seawater greenhouse

Use seawater for cooling & humidification, reclaim fresh water from ventilation airhttp://www.seawatergreenhouse.com

Controlled environments for life support

Food production is necessary for long-durationmanned space missions (ultimate closed system)

Challenges: space environment (e.g., micro-gravity,radiation), energy requirements, system mass,volume, recirculating systems, redundancy, crewtime requirements, crop selection (diet)

Requires detailed systems analysis and design

For crop production component: requires detailedpredictive growth models that incorporate plantresponses to environmental perturbations


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Amundsen-Scott

South Pole StationPlant Production

Chamber

North PoleArthur Clarke

Mars Greenhouse(Devon Island)

Space farming

Mars Greenhouse, CEACMars Greenhouse, CEAC

University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona

Moon greenhouseMoon greenhouse


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Thank You !!!Thank You !!!

Questions?Questions?

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