LongPondGreenhouse - Revision history

Rasmus: typos fixed

2017-03-02T17:20:07Z

typos fixed

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 2 March 2017
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	==Idea==		==Idea==
	This is a concept for a simple greenhouse-like structure that has a long pond inside and is used exclusively for the production of floating plants such as [[duckweed]] and [[azolla]]. The installation has a low height (1-2 m), which helps to greatly reduce costs for the structural supports. Once the function of the greenhouse is reduced in this way, then there is only sporadic or no need for human access. There is only a small volume of CO2-enriched air above the water. The water is warm and temperature is maintained by the large amount of circulating water. The structure is ~~entirely~~ sealed off, in order to prevent water losses. A CO2 source will be required (e.g. combination with adjacent composting system, which ~~would~~ also be a good heat source). "Farming" this pond can be highly automated, with very simple floating robots moving the crops to the harvest points.		This is a concept for a simple greenhouse-like structure that has a long pond inside and is used exclusively for the production of floating plants such as [[duckweed]] and [[azolla]]. The installation has a low height (1-2 m), which helps to greatly reduce costs for the structural supports. Once the function of the greenhouse is reduced in this way, then there is only sporadic or no need for human access. There is only a small volume of CO2-enriched air above the water. The water is warm and temperature is maintained by the large amount of circulating water. The structure is mostly sealed off, in order to prevent water losses (though some way to get rid of "waste" oxygen will need to be added). A CO2 source will be required (e.g. combination with adjacent composting system, which may also be a good heat source). "Farming" this pond can be highly automated, with very simple floating robots (like toy ships that have small solar panels on them) moving the crops to the harvest points.

	==Other aspects==		==Other aspects==
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	==Potential Problems==		==Potential Problems==
	* (most importantly:) moving water is not ideal for duckweed and azolla - they ~~prever~~ a still pond. It is better to only move the plants “as needed” prior to harvest. The “racetrack” shown in the image here is therefore probably not ideal for these plants (good for Spirulina). Better to put the wheels underwater so that there is good water flow for nutrient dispersal but minimal disturbance at the surface		* (most importantly:) moving water is not ideal for duckweed and azolla, as they prefer a still pond. It is better to only move the plants “as needed” prior to harvest. The “racetrack” shown in the image here is therefore probably not ideal for these plants (but good for [[Spirulina]]). Better to put the wheels underwater so that there is good water flow for nutrient dispersal but minimal disturbance at the surface
	* temperature fluctuations in the air: too high, too low (the very small amount of air makes extremes of temperature more likely; water temperature will be more stable)		* temperature fluctuations in the air: too high, too low (the very small amount of air makes extremes of temperature more likely; water temperature will be more stable)
	*high moisture: possible [[Algae\|~~microalgal~~]] ~~problems~~		*high moisture: possible problems with [[Algae\|microalgae]], fungi, etc.

	==Related Wiki Pages==		==Related Wiki Pages==

Rasmus: /* Materials Required */ internal link

2016-05-11T15:36:02Z

Materials Required: internal link

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:36, 11 May 2016
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	==Materials Required==		==Materials Required==
	* Transparent covering/foil (polyethylene, teflon, polycarbonate, glass…). Because of the high moisture, something like ~~fluorocarbon~~-based foil (ETFE/PTFE) may be preferable (see below), but is much more expensive.		* Transparent covering/foil (polyethylene, teflon, polycarbonate, glass…). Because of the high moisture, something like [[Fluoropolymers \| fluoropolymer]]-based foil (ETFE/PTFE) may be preferable (see below), but is much more expensive.
	* structural supports		* structural supports
	* Insulating covering		* Insulating covering
	* pond liner: polyethylene foil, [[ferrocement]], other		* pond liner: polyethylene foil, [[ferrocement]], other
	* electric (battery-operated) floating "tractors" (as in: miniature boats - can be solar powered) or some other way to move plants forward. These tiny boats should also perturb the nutrients in the water to make them available to the plants.		* electric (battery-operated) floating "tractors" (as in: miniature boats - can be solar powered) or some other way to move plants forward. These tiny boats should also perturb the nutrients in the water to make them available to the plants.

	==Potential Problems==		==Potential Problems==

Rasmus: various minor edits

2016-05-07T19:54:59Z

various minor edits

Rasmus: /* Materials Required */

2016-05-07T19:43:11Z

Materials Required

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:43, 7 May 2016
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	* Insulating covering (e.g. straw mat, sheep wool)		* Insulating covering (e.g. straw mat, sheep wool)
	* pond liner: polyethylene foil / [[ferrocement]]		* pond liner: polyethylene foil / [[ferrocement]]
	* electric (battery-operated) floating “tractors” (as in: miniature boats) or some other way to move plants forward		* electric (battery-operated) floating “tractors” (as in: miniature boats - can be solar powered) or some other way to move plants forward

	==Potential Problems==		==Potential Problems==

Rasmus: /* Possible Design Improvements */

2016-05-07T16:39:36Z

Possible Design Improvements

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:39, 7 May 2016
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	* Due to the very high moisture, [[Algae\|microalgae]] growth on the inside of the foil is likely. This may be minimized with the use of non-stick (i.e. “Teflon”, ETFE/PTFE) foil, which is far more expensive however.		* Due to the very high moisture, [[Algae\|microalgae]] growth on the inside of the foil is likely. This may be minimized with the use of non-stick (i.e. “Teflon”, ETFE/PTFE) foil, which is far more expensive however.
	* earth sheltered on one side (in high latitudes) – would provide extra insulation and structural support but block out some of the light. It would allow for a very inexpensive build with simple, straight, short beams of wood or concrete.		* earth sheltered on one side (in high latitudes) – would provide extra insulation and structural support but block out some of the light. It would allow for a very inexpensive build with simple, straight, short beams of wood or concrete.
			* night-time cover with insulating material to minimize heat losses

	[[Category:Controlled-environment growing]]		[[Category:Controlled-environment growing]]
	[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]		[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]
	[[Category:Housing and construction]]		[[Category:Housing and construction]]

Rasmus: Created page with "Image:LongPondGreenhouse - sketch.jpg|417px|thumb|right| Concept of the “LongPondGreenhouse”: (A) Sketch, demonstrating long rows of this greenhouse. The inner surface i..."

2016-05-07T16:37:47Z

Created page with "Image:LongPondGreenhouse - sketch.jpg|417px|thumb|right| Concept of the “LongPondGreenhouse”: (A) Sketch, demonstrating long rows of this greenhouse. The inner surface i..."

New page

[[Image:LongPondGreenhouse - sketch.jpg|417px|thumb|right| Concept of the “LongPondGreenhouse”: (A) Sketch, demonstrating long rows of this greenhouse. The inner surface is almost entirely covered by the long pond. Access is also through this pond but may be only rarely needed. (B) Possible external appearance. (C) “Raceway” type pond with single harvest point for continuous 24/7 automated harvesting.]]

==Idea==
This is a concept for a simple greenhouse-like structure that has a long pond inside and is used exclusively for the production of floating plants such as [[duckweed]] and [[azolla]]. The installation has a low height (1-2 m), which helps to greatly reduce costs for the structural supports. Once the function of the greenhouse is reduced, then there is no need for human access. There is only a small volume of CO2-enriched air above it. The water is warm and temperature is maintained by the large amount of circulating water. The structure is entirely sealed off in order to prevent water losses and may therefore be well-suited for dryland farming. A CO2 source will be required (e.g. combination with adjacent composting system, which would also be a good heat source). “Farming” this pond can be highly automated, with very simple floating robots moving the crops to the harvest points.

Other aspects:
* These „farms“ could be very suitable for the drylands (e.g. Central Asia, Africa, Asia).
* This is not too different from the [[spirulina]] farm concept built by Jean-Paul Jourdan.
* The structural support can be something cheap like wood or bamboo (problem: it's a very humid environment, so these won't last long). Concrete supports are more durable but also more expensive.
* Covering: similar to the [[Chinese greenhouse|Chinese solar greenhouse]], a covering could be used at night. The structure is unlikely to overheat, but may sometimes be above the optimal [[Azolla]] temperature (i.e. above 30C).
* Compost as a CO2 source. The air is highly enriched in CO2. Compost is ideal in this integrated and enclosed system. The electric motors for fans can be solar powered. We also may need air pumps to pump air into the compost. That air can be pulled from this „greenhouse“ back into the compost to retain the water (in areas of water scarcity). The compost will also serve as an extra source of heat. [[Azolla]] is very sensitive to air pollution, duckweed less so.
* Expected losses are CO2 and water. These are likely to be minimal. Carbon can be imported for composting.
* Downstream: cattle (+[[Black Soldier Fly|BSFs]], [[worms]]), chickens, fish, pigs, later [[cattails]]; we can run the whole farm from this one source. [[Azolla]] can be [[Fermentation|lacto-fermented]] for storage.
* Other ideas: [[ferrocement]] or similar technology as the liner, fully automatic (24/7) harvesting

==Materials Required==
* Transparent covering/foil (polyethylene, teflon, polycarbonate, glass…). Because of the high moisture, something like fluorocarbon-based foil (ETFE/PTFE) may be preferable (see below), but is much more expensive.
* structural supports
* Insulating covering (e.g. straw mat, sheep wool)
* pond liner: polyethylene foil / [[ferrocement]]
* electric (battery-operated) floating “tractors” (as in: miniature boats) or some other way to move plants forward

==Potential Problems==
* (most importantly:) moving water is not ideal for duckweed and azolla. It is better to have a still pond and only move the plants “as needed” prior to harvest. The “racetrack” shown in the image is therefore probably not ideal for these plants. Better to put the wheels underwater so that there is good water flow for nutrient dispersal but minimal disturbance at the surface
* temperature fluctuations in the air: too high, too low (the very small amount of air makes extremes of temperature more likely; water temperature will be much more stable)
*high moisture: possible [[Algae|microalgal]] problems

==Related Wiki Pages==
* [[Aquaponics]]
* [[Azolla]], [[Duckweed]]
* [[Greenhouses]], [[Chinese Greenhouse]]

==Possible Design Improvements==
* Due to the very high moisture, [[Algae|microalgae]] growth on the inside of the foil is likely. This may be minimized with the use of non-stick (i.e. “Teflon”, ETFE/PTFE) foil, which is far more expensive however.
* earth sheltered on one side (in high latitudes) – would provide extra insulation and structural support but block out some of the light. It would allow for a very inexpensive build with simple, straight, short beams of wood or concrete.

[[Category:Controlled-environment growing]]
[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]
[[Category:Housing and construction]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:54, 7 May 2016
Line 2:		Line 2:

	==Idea==		==Idea==
	This is a concept for a simple greenhouse-like structure that has a long pond inside and is used exclusively for the production of floating plants such as [[duckweed]] and [[azolla]]. The installation has a low height (1-2 m), which helps to greatly reduce costs for the structural supports. Once the function of the greenhouse is reduced, then there is no need for human access. There is only a small volume of CO2-enriched air above it. The water is warm and temperature is maintained by the large amount of circulating water. The structure is entirely sealed off in order to prevent water losses ~~and may therefore be well-suited for dryland farming~~. A CO2 source will be required (e.g. combination with adjacent composting system, which would also be a good heat source). ~~“Farming”~~ this pond can be highly automated, with very simple floating robots moving the crops to the harvest points.		This is a concept for a simple greenhouse-like structure that has a long pond inside and is used exclusively for the production of floating plants such as [[duckweed]] and [[azolla]]. The installation has a low height (1-2 m), which helps to greatly reduce costs for the structural supports. Once the function of the greenhouse is reduced in this way, then there is only sporadic or no need for human access. There is only a small volume of CO2-enriched air above the water. The water is warm and temperature is maintained by the large amount of circulating water. The structure is entirely sealed off, in order to prevent water losses. A CO2 source will be required (e.g. combination with adjacent composting system, which would also be a good heat source). "Farming" this pond can be highly automated, with very simple floating robots moving the crops to the harvest points.

	Other aspects:		==Other aspects==
	* These ~~„farms“~~ could be very suitable for the drylands (e.g. Central Asia, Africa, Asia).		* These "farms" could be very suitable for aquaculture in the drylands (e.g. Central Asia, Africa, Asia), as water losses are minimized.
	* This is ~~not too different from~~ the [[spirulina]] farm concept built by Jean-Paul Jourdan.		* This is similar to the [[spirulina]] farm concept built by Jean-Paul Jourdan in France.
	* The structural support can be something cheap like wood or bamboo (problem: ~~it's~~ a very humid environment, so these won't last long). Concrete supports are more durable but also more expensive.		* The structural support can be something cheap like wood or bamboo (problem: this is a very humid environment, so these won't last long). Concrete supports are more durable but also more expensive.
	* Covering: similar to the [[Chinese greenhouse\|Chinese solar greenhouse]], a covering could be used at night. The structure is unlikely to overheat, but may sometimes be above the optimal [[Azolla]] temperature (i.e. above 30C).		* Covering: similar to the [[Chinese greenhouse\|Chinese solar greenhouse]], a covering (straw mat, wool) could be used at night. The structure is unlikely to overheat, but may sometimes be above the optimal [[Azolla]] temperature (i.e. above 30C).
			* temperature management (heating/cooling) may be required. Heating can be from biomass or solar. Cooling can be from a diurnal (day/night) system and does not have to be electric.
	* Compost as a CO2 source. The air is highly enriched in CO2. Compost is ideal in this integrated and enclosed system. The electric motors for fans can be solar powered. We also may need air pumps to pump air into the compost. That air can be pulled from this „greenhouse“ back into the compost to retain the water (in areas of water scarcity). The compost will also serve as an extra source of heat. [[Azolla]] is very sensitive to air pollution, duckweed less so.		* Compost as a CO2 source. The air is highly enriched in CO2. Compost is ideal in this integrated and enclosed system. The electric motors for fans can be solar powered. We also may need air pumps to pump air into the compost. That air can be pulled from this „greenhouse“ back into the compost to retain the water (in areas of water scarcity). The compost will also serve as an extra source of heat. [[Azolla]] is very sensitive to air pollution, duckweed less so.
	* Expected losses are CO2 and water. These are likely to be minimal. Carbon can be imported for composting.		* Expected losses are CO2 and water. These are likely to be minimal. Carbon can be imported for composting.
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	* Transparent covering/foil (polyethylene, teflon, polycarbonate, glass…). Because of the high moisture, something like fluorocarbon-based foil (ETFE/PTFE) may be preferable (see below), but is much more expensive.		* Transparent covering/foil (polyethylene, teflon, polycarbonate, glass…). Because of the high moisture, something like fluorocarbon-based foil (ETFE/PTFE) may be preferable (see below), but is much more expensive.
	* structural supports		* structural supports
	* Insulating covering ~~(e.g. straw mat, sheep wool)~~		* Insulating covering
	* pond liner: polyethylene foil / [[ferrocement]]		* pond liner: polyethylene foil, [[ferrocement]], other
	* electric (battery-operated) floating ~~“tractors”~~ (as in: miniature boats - can be solar powered) or some other way to move plants forward		* electric (battery-operated) floating "tractors" (as in: miniature boats - can be solar powered) or some other way to move plants forward. These tiny boats should also perturb the nutrients in the water to make them available to the plants.

	==Potential Problems==		==Potential Problems==
	* (most importantly:) moving water is not ideal for duckweed and azolla. It is better to ~~have a still pond and~~ only move the plants “as needed” prior to harvest. The “racetrack” shown in the image is therefore probably not ideal for these plants. Better to put the wheels underwater so that there is good water flow for nutrient dispersal but minimal disturbance at the surface		* (most importantly:) moving water is not ideal for duckweed and azolla - they prever a still pond. It is better to only move the plants “as needed” prior to harvest. The “racetrack” shown in the image here is therefore probably not ideal for these plants (good for Spirulina). Better to put the wheels underwater so that there is good water flow for nutrient dispersal but minimal disturbance at the surface
	* temperature fluctuations in the air: too high, too low (the very small amount of air makes extremes of temperature more likely; water temperature will be ~~much~~ more stable)		* temperature fluctuations in the air: too high, too low (the very small amount of air makes extremes of temperature more likely; water temperature will be more stable)
	*high moisture: possible [[Algae\|microalgal]] problems		*high moisture: possible [[Algae\|microalgal]] problems

Line 32:		Line 33:

	==Possible Design Improvements==		==Possible Design Improvements==
	* Due to the very high moisture, [[Algae\|microalgae]] growth on the inside of the foil is likely. This may be minimized with the use of non-stick (i.e. “Teflon”, ETFE/PTFE) foil, which is far more expensive however.		* Due to the very high moisture, [[Algae\|microalgae]] growth on the inside of the foil is likely. This may be minimized with the use of non-stick (i.e. “Teflon”, ETFE/PTFE) foil, which is far more expensive than polyethylene however.
	* earth sheltered on one side (in high latitudes) – would provide extra insulation and structural support but block out some of the light. It would allow for a very inexpensive build with simple, straight, short beams of wood or concrete.		* earth sheltered on one side (in high latitudes especially): would provide extra insulation and structural support but block out some of the light. It would allow for a very inexpensive build with simple, straight, short beams of wood or concrete.
	* night-time cover with insulating material to minimize heat losses		* night-time cover with insulating material (e.g. straw mat, sheep wool) to minimize heat losses

	[[Category:Controlled-environment growing]]		[[Category:Controlled-environment growing]]
	[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]		[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]
	[[Category:Housing and construction]]		[[Category:Housing and construction]]