Enclosed Rooftop Hydroponic Farm

March 1, 2021 DeepBlue Cleanup

Team 1 C: Green Buildings Video Presentation
https://mediaspace.carleton.ca/media/Enclosed+Rooftop+Hydroponic+Garden/1_877fwd9o

Project Overview

The Enclosed Rooftop Hydroponic Garden design researched is one that will optimize all aspects of having a rooftop garden. This includes improved insulation, sustainability, and air quality. Research was done in order to compare the differences between hydroponic gardens and normal gardens, as well as their benefits. The research done on the various topics has shown the benefits that the gardens have on the environment, which will be highlighted in the presentation.

Figure 1: Enclosed Hydroponic Rooftop Garden [1]

Lighting (Mohammed Raiyan Hasan)

Light plays a major role in photosynthesis in green plants. In photosynthesis, light energy is trapped and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds which then are used in the production of fruits or vegetables [3]. The colour of light plays an important role in the growth of a plant, for instance, red and blue light is found to be the most effective for growing, whereas green and yellow have minimal effect [3]. Light energy from blue light drives the photosynthetic reaction and stimulates the production of necessary compounds such as antioxidants and some vitamins in plants. Red light is at a higher wavelength and can only be absorbed by chlorophyll A and B [4]. This absorption helps in the development of plants, as well as increasing the amount and quality of the plant’s yield. For example, aromatic chemicals, known as phenols, important to plant health are known to increase in production with the addition of supplemental red light [4]. Overall to sum up, plants require Red and blue light at a ratio of 5:1, which helps in producing the most nutrient enriched plant.

[3] Higgins, A. (2018, November 06). High-tech farmers are using LED lights in ways that seem to border on science fiction. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/led-growing/ [Accessed: September 22, 2020]

[4] G. Samuolienė, A. Brazaitytė, A. Viršilė, J. Jankauskienė, S. Sakalauskienė, and P. Duchovskis, “Red Light-Dose or Wavelength-Dependent Photoresponse of Antioxidants in Herb Microgreens,” PloS one, 27-Sep-2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5038936/. [Accessed: 14-Oct-2020].

Figure 2: Indoor hydroponic lighting [2].

Root Architecture (Monish Sivakumar)

Root architecture is the term used to describe how plants grow out their roots. Many factors can play into how their roots spread out, such as gravity, the angle at which the planting is growing into the water and the location of nutrients. Gravity is the biggest factor that plays into root architecture. The roots of a plant can sense the direction of gravity using hormones, and then decide how its roots will grow [6]. The angle at which the plant grows also affects root growth as the roots will curve in the direction of gravity using a hormone called Auxin [7]. Auxin will stop the growth of the root at the bottom of the root so that the roots can curve in the direction of gravity. Lastly, based on where the nutrients are located, the roots can decide to either grow further down, or grow horizontally. Plants can grow their roots in these directions because of the three roots they can grow. These roots are the primary root (grows in the direction of gravity), lateral roots (grows in a horizontal manner) and lastly seminal roots (grows at an angle between the primary roots and lateral roots ). In hydroponic gardens, the roots do not need to grow around obstacles so they can save energy, which allows them to grow their produce 30%-50% than normal gardens .

Figure 3: Growth of a plant’s roots in a hydroponic garden [5].

Cell.com. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(17)30780-7.pdf> [Accessed 20 September 2020].

[10] L. R. Band, D. M. Wells, A. Larrieu, J. Sun, A. M. Middleton, A. P. French, G. Brunoud, E. M. Sato, M. H. Wilson, B. Péret, M. Oliva, R. Swarup, I. Sairanen, G. Parry, K. Ljung, T. Beeckman, J. M. Garibaldi, M. Estelle, M. R. Owen, K. Vissenberg, T. C. Hodgman, T. P. Pridmore, J. R. King, T. Vernoux, and M. J. Bennett, “Root gravitropism is regulated by a transient lateral auxin gradient controlled by a tipping-point mechanism,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 20-Mar-2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311388/. [Accessed: 28-Oct-2020].

Improvement of Air Quality (Sherief Elfeky)

Plants help improve the air quality of indoor spaces through the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration [8]. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants consume carbon dioxide and water which produces oxygen and glucose [8]. This is a plant's way of making food for itself and is also why humans have oxygen on earth to breath [8]. This helps maintain a high quality of air as carbon dioxide is harmful for humans and animals to breath, while oxygen is a main requirement for sustaining both human and animal life [8]. Therefore, the more plants humans have on earth means a greater abundance of oxygen and less carbon dioxide which would also mean better air quality for humans and animals to breathe [8]. As for transpiration, this is the process where plants remove excess water from their bodies [9]. This process has the ability to improve air quality in a couple ways. When plants transpire water vapor and phytochemicals, get released into the air [9]. This in turn causes an increase in airflow which is why indoor plants tend to make the air seem fresher [8]. Furthermore, plants pull in harmful airborne pollutants through the process of transpiration [8]. This causes the air to become richer in oxygen and less saturated with pollutants [8].

Figure 4: Photosynthesis [8]
Figure 5: Transpiration [9]

[8] P. Editor, “How can plants improve air quality?,” Planterra, 22-Apr-2019. [Online]Available: https://planterra.com/how-can-plants-improve-air-quality/. [Accessed: 22Oct- 2020].

[9]"Download Diagram Showing Transpiration In Plant for free", Freepik, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/diagram-showing-transpiration-plant_6024255.htm. [Accessed: 15- Nov- 2020].

Wick System (Yuvrajsinh Zala)

The passive wick system provides a method for the transportation of liquid through the wicks and into the roots of a plant [11]. The nutritious water sitting in a reservoir will be attracted to the wick and travel through and across the wick. Capillary action is the method through which the liquid is transported across the wick [12]. The capillary action uses the principle of three main forces which are cohesion force, adhesion force and surface tension force. The cohesion force is the attraction of water molecules to each other, whereas the adhesion force is the attraction force between two different molecules. The surface tension force creates a surface layer that holds the shape and structure of water. These are the three forces combined into what makes capillary action work. The time it takes in transporting liquid through wick using capillary action will depend on the material of wick that is used. A nylon rope or cotton string can take hours to empty a reservoir tank. In a passive wick system the purpose is to supply the roots of a plant with water over several hours, and therefore using a nylon rope is better.

Figure 5: Passive wick system [10]

[10] Google Search. [Online]. Available: https://www.google.com/search?q=wick+system. [Accessed: 26-Nov-2020].

[11] C. D'Anna, “How to Use the Wick System Method in Your Hydroponic Garden,” The Spruce. [Online]. Available: https://www.thespruce.com/hydroponic-gardens-wick-system-1939222. [Accessed: 26-Nov-2020].

[12] Admin, “Capillary Action - Meaning, Definition, Examples, Adhesion, Cohesion,” BYJUS, 13-Oct-2020. [Online]. Available: https://byjus.com/jee/capillary-action/. [Accessed: 26-Nov-2020].

References:

[1] “rooftop greenhouse - Google Search: Aquaponics greenhouse, Greenhouse, Aquaponics,” Pinterest. [Online]. Available: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/744993963342932060/. [Accessed: 17-Nov-2020].

[2] Swartz, J. (2015). Retrieved 2020, from https://www.igrow.news/igrownews/4-facts-you-need-to-know-about-vertical-farming-led-lighting[Accessed: 15-Oct-2020].

[5] S. by M. on Tue, “16 Easy DIY Hydroponic Plans You Can Build in Your Garden This Weekend,” Trees.com. [Online]. Available: https://www.greenandvibrant.com/hydroponic-plans. [Accessed: 17-Nov-2020].

[6] Cell.com. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(17)30780-7.pdf> [Accessed 20 September 2020].

[7] L. R. Band, D. M. Wells, A. Larrieu, J. Sun, A. M. Middleton, A. P. French, G. Brunoud, E. M. Sato, M. H. Wilson, B. Péret, M. Oliva, R. Swarup, I. Sairanen, G. Parry, K. Ljung, T. Beeckman, J. M. Garibaldi, M. Estelle, M. R. Owen, K. Vissenberg, T. C. Hodgman, T. P. Pridmore, J. R. King, T. Vernoux, and M. J. Bennett, “Root gravitropism is regulated by a transient lateral auxin gradient controlled by a tipping-point mechanism,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 20-Mar-2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311388/. [Accessed: 28-Oct-2020].

[8] P. Editor, “How can plants improve air quality?,” Planterra, 22-Apr-2019. [Online]Available: https://planterra.com/how-can-plants-improve-air-quality/. [Accessed: 22Oct- 2020].

[10] Google Search. [Online]. Available: https://www.google.com/search?q=wick+system. [Accessed: 26-Nov-2020].

[12] Admin, “Capillary Action - Meaning, Definition, Examples, Adhesion, Cohesion,” BYJUS, 13-Oct-2020. [Online]. Available: https://byjus.com/jee/capillary-action/. [Accessed: 26-Nov-2020].