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National Geographic Features UVI Aquaponics Program
The University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station is featured in the August issue of National Geographic, one of the leading magazines on science, geography, history, and world culture
By Source staff | . August 18, 2019
A raft of lettuce grows in a pond, with the shaded tilapia tanks in the background. (UVI photo)
Aquaponically grown lettuce is harvested at UVI. (UVI photo)
The University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station is featured in the August issue of National Geographic, one of the leading magazines on science, geography, history, and world culture.
The ag station, which features an aquaculture program, is spotlighted in the magazine’s Explore Decoder section. Accompanying graphics illustrate the principles of aquaponic design and operation, according to a news release issued by the university.
The online component of the publication includes a video demonstrating how vegetables can be grown through aquaponics.
UVI, a land grant institution, has been a leading public university researching aquaponics and has a great depth of knowledge and experience in the field. The program, which began in 1979, boasts a facility spanning 1.95 acres on UVI’s St. Croix campus.
Donald Bailey, research specialist in the aquaculture program, began assisting National Geographic journalists with the story in April, providing them with information and illustration for the home-scale system that is included in the issue.
“Throughout the collaboration, I realized from the lead writer, illustrator and editor that they needed accurate and precise information, clearly stated, so that magazine readers would not be misinformed or misled,” Bailey said. “I’m happy with the final product, including the drawing of the UVI Aquaponic System in the upper right corner of the illustration.”
Research Specialist Donald Bailey (UVI photo)
Among the illustrations included is a drawing of the UVI Commercial Aquaponic System. The main illustration shows a home-scale system that includes the main components of a well-designed aquaponic system: a separate fish rearing tank, solid waste removal, deep water channel hydroponics with floating rafts, continuous aeration and water flow.
Six detailed steps lead the reader through the system processes with illustration focus points highlighting nitrification, the natural process of water purification and seedling/vegetable production.
Vegetable production is the primary benefit of aquaponics, as it contributes to cleaning the water for reuse in fish production and provides valuable revenue for the operation, according to the UVI news release.
“Through its research, the AES Aquaculture Program developed a sustainable design with reliable operating procedures that can be scaled for home and hobby use or commercial production,” Bailey said. “The magazine illustrates a home-scale system with the necessary components for continuous operation and production of fish and vegetables. We hope that the home-scale system can be adopted by more Virgin Islanders.”
The university saw the expansion of the aquaculture program with the development of research and demonstration systems in aquaponic and biofloc systems and cage culture in watershed ponds in 1979 when James Rakocy joined the university. It also hosted annual workshops drawing budding agriculturists from all over the world to learn how to set up systems for home or commercial use.
The August 2019 issue of National Geographic is available in both St. Croix and St. Thomas campus libraries.
Superior Fresh Leading The Way In Aquaponics
Nestled in the Coulee region of Wisconsin is one of the largest aquaponics facilities in the world. It sits on a 720-acre native restoration property and raises leafy greens as well as Atlantic salmon and Steelhead
BY ADAM CAMPBELL | AUGUST 19, 2019
Nestled in the Coulee region of Wisconsin is one of the largest aquaponics facilities in the world. It sits on a 720-acre native restoration property and raises leafy greens as well as Atlantic salmon and Steelhead.
Superior Fresh, located in Hixton, WI, is taking sustainability to the next level. “The restoration property has been converted from conventional, monocrop agriculture into natural, native prairies and oak savannas,” said Nate Hefti, regional sales manager for Superior Fresh. “The fish-house and greenhouses are using state-of-the-art technology to efficiently raise fish and vegetables, giving us the opportunity to return the land back to its native state. All waste products from the facilities are composted onsite and used to enrich the poor soils that exist throughout the land.”
The water used to raise the salmon is cycled through to then fertilize the aquaponics facility, then cycled back again to the salmon tanks, meaning zero discharge of production water.
“By weight, for every one pound of salmon we produce we feed the fish 1.1 pounds of food. This equals nearly a one-to-one feed conversion ratio (FCR) but does not include the additional 10 pounds of produce we grow per one pound of fish food,” said Hefti. “Therefore, we have a FCR that is one-to-10, equaling one pound of fish food into the system and 10 pounds salmon and vegetables out.” For perspective, cattle has a food conversion ratio of approximately 10 to one, meaning every one pound of beef requires 10 pounds of cattle feed.
Currently the company is shipping up to 4,000 pounds of baby greens 1,000 pounds of head lettuce every day and is always looking at opportunities to expand into other markets to allow more people the opportunity to buy organic, safe, local fresh food. With nearly zero water discharge, the company believes facilities could be located anywhere on the planet, making it a readily available and safe local food source.
STEM Education & Community Discount
This year’s Aquaponics Association Annual Conference theme is “Putting Out Fruits”. Putting Out Fruits will take place in Frankfort, Kentucky at Kentucky State University on September 20 – 22nd, 2019.
Aquaponics Association
August 1, 2019
Check Out The Community & Non-profit
Discount For Putting Out Fruits!
The Aquaponics Association 2019 Board of Governors Is Proud To Present The Tentative Program For The September 20-22 Putting Out Fruits Conference
This year’s Aquaponics Association Annual Conference theme is “ Putting Out Fruits”. Putting Out Fruits will take place in Frankfort, Kentucky at Kentucky State University on September 20 - 22nd, 2019
Conference Program!
Buy Your Tickets At The Putting Out Fruits homepage
The program features over FIFTY individual sessions and presenters from across the globe.
And a special thanks to Conference Chair Tawnya Sawyer for all the hard work putting such a great program together!
Hope to see you there!
Brian Filipowich, Chairman
Aquaponics Association
Superior Fresh Expanding Salmon Farm In Wisconsin, Looking At Additional Locations
U.S.A.-based aquaponics salmon and steelhead farmer Superior Fresh, which opened in 2015, is undergoing an expansion, with plans to boost its salmon production volume nearly tenfold over the next 24 months
By Erich Luening
August 5, 2019
Hixton, Wisconsin, U.S.A.-based aquaponics salmon and steelhead farmer Superior Fresh, which opened in 2015, is undergoing an expansion, with plans to boost its salmon production volume nearly tenfold over the next 24 months.
The project has an estimated USD 10 million (EUR 8.9 million) price-tag, which includes space to house fish tanks totaling 100,000 gallons in capacity, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
“Over the past 12 months, we’ve raised 160,000 pounds of chemical-free Atlantic salmon rich in omega-3s,” the company stated in a LinkedIn post earlier this month. “Within 24 months, we’re set to bump that total up to 1.5 MILLION pounds per year!”
Superior Fresh is an aquaponics facility specializing in growing greens, Atlantic salmon, and steelhead. The facility is situated on a 720-acre native restoration property nestled in the Coulee region of the Midwestern state. It is owned by Todd Wanek, the CEO of Ashley Furniture, who has already invested an estimated USD 17 million (EUR 15.2 million) in the facility, according to the State Journal.
“Our harvests this year have continued without a hitch for both Atlantic salmon and steelhead, as we’ve consistently placed fish in the market every week at a mean size of about four [kilograms] and three [kilograms], respectively,” Superior Fresh Chief Science Officer Steven Summerfelt told SeafoodSource.
The company is currently producing approximately 200,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon and steelhead annually, Summerfelt said, noting that the expansion won’t mean additional staff hires.
“We have an excellent fish house team, which we have been slowly expanding and continuously train. This existing team can meet our fish house management requirements during our expansion to approximately 1.5 million pounds per year. We currently employ four to five in the fish house and expect to add another two technicians to help with the upcoming increase in fish harvest and processing requirements,” he said. “The majority of fish house staff time is spent on completing routine SOP’s plus weekly harvesting and processing tasks.”
Aquaponics is systems are a combination of fish and plant production using aquaculture and hydroponics systems, aquaponics is moving from the realm of experimental to commercial, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The growing popularity of aquaponics has prompted some analyses of the economics of these systems. The few studies developed to date show good potential for aquaponically produced vegetables to be profitable, with the fish portion possibly breaking even or incurring a net loss, according to a 2015 Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC).
“Premium prices in high-end markets will be necessary for aquaponically produced vegetables and fish to be profitable,” University of Florida’s Carole Engle wrote in the SRAC paper. “Additional costs and risks associated with these complex systems must be analyzed carefully before investing in aquaponics.”
Superior Fresh lettuce is sold at Kwik Trip gas stations across Wisconsin. The farm’s living butterhead lettuce and baby spring mix is also available in more than 600 stores throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the company’s washed leaf lettuce mixes are available at more than 30 stores throughout Wisconsin.
“In addition, our nearly six acres of greenhouses can produce up to two million pounds of leafy greens annually, depending on our production mix, e.g., baby greens versus head lettuce,” Summerfelt said. “Greenhouse production doubled in 2019 and – based on current construction activities – will more than double again in 2020. Thus, we continue to hire exceptional staff to expand our greenhouse team.”
In July 2018, De Pere, Wisconsin-based Festival Foods, which operates 28 stores, began selling Superior Fresh’s farmed salmon in all its stores in time for the Independence Day holiday (4 July). Superior is able to deliver salmon to stores within 48 hours post-harvest, according to the company’s website. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program rates Superior Fresh’s salmon a “Best Choice,” according to the supplier
“We are excited to offer such a fresh product to people right here in the Midwest,” Superior Fresh said on its Facebook page in 2018.
Summerfelt told the Wisconsin State Journal that Superior Fresh also begun initial plans to expand into even larger facilities on the U.S. East and West Coasts “that could each be more than twice the size of the operation in Wisconsin and bring locally grown salmon and greens within reach of millions more people.”
“We have great food, a great team and a production facility that can be (replicated) across the country,” Summerfelt told the State Journal. “We’ve developed technology to work within the regulatory framework. We have zero surface water discharge and that’s a very powerful statement.”
Photo courtesy of Superior Fresh
This Startup Wants To Revolutionize 'Farming' In The Arab World
The Middle East is a region of disparity; huge socio-economic gaps within communities have always existed. For years, the region's chasms were overlooked or deemed impossible to improve
Its vision? To empower local economies, families, and inherently improve their quality of life.
2019-07-28
Source: Tulua.io
The Middle East is a region of disparity; huge socio-economic gaps within communities have always existed. For years, the region's chasms were overlooked or deemed impossible to improve. However, things seem to be changing as a tech-driven startup scene focused on creating a better future for upcoming generations emerges.
One of these businesses is Tulua - the Arabic word for "rise" - a startup invested in technologies to help anyone become a micro-farmer. The initiative aims at decentralizing farming in Middle Eastern countries, helping people and communities generate income through the industry.
Tulua's CEO and co-founder Jonathan Reyes has had a diverse career spanning different industries. His background in tech and interest in artificial intelligence (AI), combined with years of experience in Los Angeles, U.S., pushed him to start his current company.
Reyes moved to the Middle East in 2012 — eager to immerse himself in the region's culture. Shortly after his move, Reyes took a role at STEP Group, the parent company of StepFeed, and explained that he "was very passionate about seeing this new voice emerge giving shape to the modern Arab that loves tech, culture, and change."
CanadaGAP To Phase Out Aquaponics Certification
CanadaGAP will begin phasing out certification for aquaponics operations in 2020, citing "potential chemical hazards (antibiotics, for example) associated with aquaponic production" and possible uptake of contaminants through leafy greens
Photo: josefkubes Adobe Stock
July 25, 2019
According to a press release, CanadaGAP will begin phasing out certification for aquaponics operations in 2020, citing "potential chemical hazards (antibiotics, for example) associated with aquaponic production" and possible uptake of contaminants through leafy greens.
The government organization will stop GAP certifying businesses on April 1, 2020 and begin revoking certifications from businesses in 2020.
The organization says it uses a generic HACCP model establish food safety requirements. According to CanadaGAP, using that model means more research is needed before aquaponics can be GAP certified again.
GAP stands for "good agricultural practices," and means that growers are sticking to certain practices designed to ensure food safety for consumers. The definition of GAP varies from country to country.
The Aquaponics Association, an advocacy group based in Washington D.C., said in a statement that CanadaGAP's decision was "based on faulty and/or incomplete information," and says it is working with experts to provide the research to combat what it deems as false statements.
In the United States, the USDA established pilot program for GAP certification in aquaponics that runs through Dec. 31, 2019. At this time, it is unclear if the program will continue into 2020.
Tags: GAP Aquaponics Tomato Leafy greens Lettuce Food safety
Hydroponic Farming Gaining Success In Bangladesh
The founder of Agro Circuit at Uttara has no problem selling 25-30 kg of exotic green vegetables he produces every day and that too at premium prices. Tanvir’s clients include Gourmat Bazaar, Unimart and families at Uttara and Gulshan
21 July, 2019
FAISAL MAHMUD, Dhaka
Amid stories of agrarian crisis everywhere, Tanvir Hossain Siddiqui has a happy tale to tell.
The founder of Agro Circuit at Uttara has no problem selling 25-30 kg of exotic green vegetables he produces every day and that too at premium prices. Tanvir’s clients include Gourmat Bazaar, Unimart and families at Uttara and Gulshan.
If Tanvir’s story sounds different at a time when farming is becoming unsustainable due to falling yields, increasing costs and low prices along with water scarcity and soil degradation, his farm looks different too.
Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, tomato and lettuce grow on a one-foot bed of flowing water—and, no soil—in a specially designed 2,000-sq-ft greenhouse at Agro Circuit Farm.
There is no need to spray insecticide or pesticide, or even use fertilizers. The nutrition for plant growth comes from 8,000 freshwater fish—Telapia and Carp—cultivated in separate water tanks inside the greenhouse.
Fish & Veggies
Tanvir uses what is called ‘aquaponics’ to grow leafy vegetables.
The method combines aquaculture—cultivating fish and other aquatic animals in tanks—with hydroponics, in which plants are cultivated in water.
The water from the fish tank is pumped onto the beds where the plants grow. While the fish excretions provide nutrients for the plants, the clean water is recirculated back to the fish tank. While the initial cost to set up the facility would be high, the recurring cost is low in aquaponics and there are two sources of revenue: fish and vegetables.
Moreover, the water requirement is as less as a tenth of that in conventional agriculture.
Tanvir who completed his bachelors in electrical engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Dhaka, went to Australia in 2010 to complete his masters. There he quickly developed an interest for agriculture, especially for aquaculture and hydroponic agriculture.
“When I used to go to Australian supermarkets, I saw that the most fresh and priciest vegetables were tagged as hydroponic vegetables. They were also the juiciest and tastiest. Then I started studying about hydroponic agriculture,” he told The Independent.
Tanvir said studying about hydroponics was not that hard. “These days, studying about anything is easy. You just need to do a Google search or search for it in YouTube. There are numerous tutorials and learning materials.”
He, however, added that the practical work is obviously a bit challenging than learning through a virtual medium. “I first bought a two planter startup kit from a farmers’ market in Sidney and started growing kale on an experimental basis. I succeeded and it boosted my confidence. Then in 2015, I came back to Bangladesh and started building the greenhouse in my father’s Uttara house,” he said.
Challenges of Hydroponics Farm
Tanvir said the first climate management challenge that hydroponic farmers must overcome is figuring out how much cooling, dehumidification and heating are required to manage the temperature and humidity of the space for growing.
“In an aquaculture or hydroponic farm, lighting is the greatest source of heat, followed by motors used to operate fans, pumps and automation. Because hydroponic farms are often well-insulated and designed to operate day and night throughout the year, cooling is usually required 24/7 and year-round to remove the heat generated inside the space,” he said.
Dehumidification is also constantly required to remove moisture added to the air via evapotranspiration from the plants and irrigation system. The rate and quantity of evapotranspiration depends on several variables, including light intensity, air temperature and humidity (or vapor pressure deficit), air movement and the irrigation method, he explained.
The second biggest challenge is figuring out how to deliver the conditioned air everywhere within the hydroponic farm to create a uniform growing environment. “When racks are spaced tightly together—both vertically and horizontally—it is difficult to create uniform conditions everywhere,” said Tanvir.
The third biggest challenge is to properly set up the location of the cooling equipment or the HVAC equipment of the hydroponic farm. HVAC equipment can include air conditioners, dehumidifiers, circulation fans, ductwork, chillers, boilers, pumps and pipes.
The cooling and dehumidification equipment are best located outside the building, where heat and moisture can be ejected to the outdoor air. Some equipment (air conditioners, dehumidifiers, etc.) are ideally located on the roof of the building or on the ground outside and next to the room they serve, helping to limit ductwork.
“No matter what crop is grown, managing humidity control and air movement in a hydroponic farm is essential to plant productivity, harvesting schedules, quality control and, ultimately, profitability,” Tanvir added.
A Growing Trend
Many aspiring young farmers like Tanvir are taking to hydroponic farming professionally. The Facebook page “Hydroponic in Bangladesh” has over 1,900 members and they engage in various discussions on different problems and prospects of hydroponic agriculture.
Dohar-based Mizanur Rahman, who is a textile businessman, is an amateur hydroponic vegetable grower. He has a 3000-sq-ft green house at Dohar in which he cultivates tomato through the hydroponic system with technical help from the local agriculture department and Agriculture Research Institute.
The nutritional requirements of the plants in his system of soilless farming are met by the nutrient mixtures, called hydroponics fertilizer mixtures, added to the water in which the plant roots are kept submerged. These mixtures are made of chemical plant nutrients.
“I grow my tomatoes without the use of any pesticide, so they are very organic. They taste better than any other tomatoes in the market,” he said.
Mizanur said some hydroponics enthusiasts abroad have been experimenting with various kinds of organic manures and mixtures of plants, but successful and commercially viable organic hydroponics models are still not available. “In fact, even globally accepted principles for certifying organic hydroponics products are also not yet available,” he said.
Highlighting the advantages of hydroponic farming, agriculturist and Professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh Dr Abdus Salam told The Independent, “It requires 90 per cent less water than the conventional soil-based farming. Since it is water based, it has macro and micronutrients directly fed to the plants and they grow 50 per cent faster and also have a better yield.”
Giving an example, he explained, “If lettuce grown conventionally requires 60 days, lettuce grown using hydroponics yields double the produce in 28-30 days.”
Emphasizing on its water efficiency, Salam said, “Regular soil-based farming with 1,500 plants would require about 200 liters of water a day, but with hydroponics, only 20 liters of water is enough.”
EA
Bad Certification News From Canada
CanadaGAP, a government-recognized food safety certification program, stated that it will withdraw CanadaGAP certification for Aquaponic production effective March 31, 2020
A negative situation is brewing in Canada that could spread across borders and set back aquaponics’ progress worldwide.
CanadaGAP, a government-recognized food safety certification program, stated that it will withdraw CanadaGAP certification for Aquaponic production effective March 31, 2020.
Unfortunately, the decision appears to be based on faulty and/or incomplete information:
“New information has come to light related to potential chemical hazards (antibiotics, for example) associated with aquaponic production. Further, there may be potential for leafy greens to uptake possible contaminants found in the water from the aquaculture production. Unfortunately, peer-reviewed scientific studies are limited at this time.”
This decision strikes at the heart of all aquaponic growers. We must publish and maintain trustworthy information about our practice to ensure institutional support, rather than opposition.
The Aquaponics Association is currently working with experts to compile the information needed to counter the false assumptions. We will make this information public as soon as possible. Please stay tuned.
In the meantime, do you have information or data that supports the food safety of aquaponics? Email us at community@aquaponicsassociation.org.
At the Putting Out Fruits Conference this September 20-22, we will talk about actions we can take together to support the advancement of aquaponics. And we’ll discuss what our message needs to be to food safety regulators and other policy-makers that affect our practice.
We’re all in this together!
Brian Filipowich, Chairman
Aquaponics Association
These Mind-Blowing Inventions Will Allow The Earth To Support 10 Billion People
Take a look at these 20 products that are potentially life-changing — and life-saving — and decide which ones you can use in your daily life to help preserve those precious resources
Barri Segal
GOBankingRates July 5, 2019
There are more than 7 billion people on the planet Earth today, according to the website Worldometers. The population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion during the 20th century alone, and right now, the population increase is estimated at 82 million people per year. More frightening is that world population projections indicate that by the year 2055 there will be 10 billion people on the planet and by the year 2088 there will be 11 billion.
Given that our natural resources are limited, that’s a lot of people the planet will somehow need to sustain. Particularly as global warming looms large, humans will be stretching those natural resources to the breaking point, so something needs to be done.
Fortunately, companies are stepping up and inventing things that can help ease the strain on Mother Earth. Take a look at these 20 products that are potentially life-changing — and life-saving — and decide which ones you can use in your daily life to help preserve those precious resources.
A Cloth That Grows Crops Indoors
AeroFarms is a vertical farming startup that uses a proprietary cloth to grow kale and arugula — and mists their roots with nutrients — instead of using soil and lots of water. By growing crops inside, AeroFarms can control the temperature, light and humidity.
According to the company, which was founded in New Jersey in 2011, its farming facilities are “400 times more productive per square foot, by output, than a traditional farm.” It grows its greens in spaces that used to be nightclubs, steel mills, warehouses and paintball centers, and sells them to Whole Foods and FreshDirect, among other grocers.
A Device That Produces Up to 10 Gallons of Drinking Water Per Hour
Access to clean drinking water is a pressing issue now for the human race, and it likely won’t be a problem that solves itself. Enter a group of University of Akron scientists who are diligently working to solve this problem.
The team is using techniques to capture water from the atmosphere in high-altitude locations where it doesn’t frequently rain. They are working on a prototype water harvester that will be able to produce up to 10 gallons of drinkable water per hour — from thin air. The water harvester prototype is designed to work where water resources are limited, and it does it inexpensively and effectively.
A Cooking Method That Will Change Energy Needs
Solar cooking is good for the environment in many ways, including keeping the air cleaner by eliminating black soot and fossil fuel emissions, and saving soil and trees. And Solar Cookers International is making it available. According to the company, one solar cooker preserves more than a ton of wood per year. In addition, it says that three out of seven people lack sustainable fuel to cook meals, and it is helping make that possible with “no-emission, decentralized, free solar energy.” SCI claims that by reducing household air pollution via solar cookers, there is potential to save up to $1.3 billion globally.
A Self-Sustainable Microhome
The Ecocapsule, a compact mobile home, uses solar wind and energy to sustain itself, enabling you to live anywhere off the grid. You don’t need to use traditional power and water supplies because it makes its own from the environment. According to the company, depending on geographic and local conditions, one to two people can use the Ecocapsule for medium-term off-grid living. It can generate power and collect rainwater, and one will cost you 79,900 euros ($90,125), excluding VAT, right now, although the company says the price will go down as production increases.
Agriculture That Combines Fish Farming and Hydroponics
AquaGrow Farms uses aquaponics to grow enough protein and produce to feed thousands every year. At its 800-square-foot farm, it combines fish farming and soil-less agriculture to create a food source — to the tune of 2,500 servings of fish and 28,000 servings of greens annually. The company does it all from six grow beds, three fish tanks and a seedling nursery. It takes 60 days from “seed to table,” and the Canadian company distributes the food it produces to members of the community who have limited access to nutritious food.
A New Waste Recycling System
The HomeBiogas processes food waste that compost traditionally doesn’t, such as fish, meat and fats. From that waste, it produces a “healthy and natural liquid fertilizer which is not made from synthetic chemicals,” which you can use at home instead of store-bought fertilizer that uses harmful chemicals that eventually enter the water supply. In addition, it uses methane gas from the waste as a cooking source, enabling people to not only reduce waste but create sustainable energy for their homes. When you purchase a HomeBiogas system you’ll get a portable biogas stove, and once you get cooking, you’ll be helping to reduce carbon emissions of up to 6 tons a year.
A Plant-Based Material Packaging Solution
Made from brown seaweed and plants, Notpla is a material that naturally biodegrades in just four to six weeks, making it a great replacement for plastic packaging. According to the company, it “doesn’t compete with food crops, doesn’t need fresh water or fertilizer and actively contributes to de-acidifying our oceans.” Ooho is one of Notpla’s products — a flexible packaging material ideal for drinks and sauces — and the packaging is actually edible, making it a perfect replacement for plastic cups and bottles. Just use the sauce or drink that’s in your Ooho, then either eat the “package” itself or throw it in your compost.
A Vegan Burger That Tastes Like the Real McCoy
If you love meat but want to help save the planet, try the Impossible Burger, a plant-based patty that really tastes like meat from cows. The company uses soy and potato proteins to make its products, in addition to coconut and sunflower oils to make it juicy and give it that sizzle everyone loves. In addition, a binder often used in ice cream and jam — methylcellulose — brings it all together. With no cholesterol or trans fats and three grams of fiber, the Impossible Burger might be an entirely possible substitution for the real thing.
Ink Made From Air Pollution
Air pollution is another pressing problem today, and AIR-INK aims to help fix it through repurposing carbon rich pollutants to make ink. It recycles soot from industrial air-polluting sources and turns it into high-quality ink, saving it from being dumped into water sources and polluting the planet. By using KAALINK, a “post tailpipe retrofit that works on diesel generators,” the company captures the pollution through filtration technologies that eventually grinds the soot into ink pigment. Although the product is not yet available to consumers, the company is underway putting certification processes in place.
Edible Beer Packaging Rings
Plastic is terrible for the planet — that much everyone agrees on — and each year it kills a significant amount of ocean life, according to Ocean Crusaders. Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, is doing something to help reduce the use of plastic by using edible six-pack rings for its beer. The rings are completely biodegradable, made from the beer brewing process’ barley and wheat ribbons. If animals encounter the six-pack rings, they can actually eat them. “It’s a big investment for a small brewery created by fisherman, surfers and people that love the sea,” said Saltwater Brewery co-founder Peter Agardy in an interview.
A Targeted Pesticide Spraying System
MagGrow is a spraying system that helps farmers target where they need coverage better than traditional crop-spraying technology. According to the company, MagGrow reduces drift up to 70% and increases crop coverage more than 40%. In addition, the system reduces water usage by 25% to 50%, extends spray windows, complies with all legislative and environmental rules and aides in controlling diseases that can occur from smaller spraying droplets.
Drones That Pollinate Flowers
The bee population decline crisis is at an all-time high, spurring a team of Japanese researchers to invent pocket-sized drones to pollinate flowers. The remote-controlled drone is approximately the size of a power adapter, and it is covered with horsehair bristles coated with a gel that enables the drone to act like a honeybee to gather and distribute pollen. By employing the drones to do honeybee work — pollinating fruits, nuts and vegetables — the team hopes to help farmers who are facing production crises.
A Sieve That Can Filter Salt Out of Seawater
United Kingdom researchers created a graphene-based, rigid sieve that filters salt out of seawater, an invention that has the potential to deliver clean drinking water to millions globally. Although there has been some success using water filtration systems before this sieve, graphene is the first material that researchers have identified that does not swell up in water (thanks to a coating of epoxy resin composite) and allows some particles to pass through. This is one timely discovery as climate change could possibly wreak havoc on urban water supplies.
A Trash Skimmer That Cleans Water
The V5 Seabin is designed to skim trash from calm water bodies, such as marinas, ports, etc. This floating garbage bin skims water surfaces by pumping water into itself and cleaning up plastics, floating trash and contaminated organic materials. The Seabin sucks in water from the surface of the marina and it passes through a bag inside the unit; it pumps the water back into the marina and traps the trash. Oil-absorbent pads further clean the water by absorbing detergent- and petroleum-based oil materials. Power for the Seabin comes via a 110V or 220V outlet, and the unit can pick up about 1.4 tons of trash per year.
A Spa Shower That Saves Water
The Nebia Spa Shower has the potential to save millions of gallons of water globally. According to the company, the first unit it debuted (Nebia Shower 1.0) sold to 55 countries and saved 100 million gallons of water. The Nebia Spa Shower 2.0 has new nozzles and is “perfectly positioned to maximize the water that comes into contact with your skin leaving it more hydrated and refreshed,” while saving 65% of the water that regular showers use. The shower features 45 degrees of movement, which makes it easy to shower without wetting your hair, and it has a 25-inch range of height to customize its spray pattern for short and tall family members.
An Ocean Cleanup Project
The ocean trash tracker is an ocean cleanup project designed to rid the oceans of plastic. So far, the nonprofit environmental group Ocean Voyages Institute has removed 40 tons of plastic from the Pacific Ocean, using GPS to track the trash. In 2020, the company plans on a bigger cleanup using 150 reusable trackers, bowling-ball-size units that map the trash’s location in real time. The trackers cost nearly $1,600 apiece, but they are teaching people how trash gathers and travels.
A Straw That Makes Water Safe To Drink
LifeStraw works with governments, donors and consumers to provide the world with safe drinking water. The product utilizes a hollow fiber membrane with microscopic pores that allow water to pass through but keep bacteria and parasites trapped. LifeStraw products come in many forms other than straws, including a 7-cup glass water filter pitcher, a water bottle filter and a water filtration system with a 1-gallon gravity bag. According to the company, it has provided safe water to more than 1 million children globally.
Fabric Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles
Repreve is a high-performance fiber made from plastic bottles and other recycled materials. Some of the leading brands use the fiber to produce fashion and athletic clothing that is durable and water repellent, and it contains features such as adaptive warming and cooling and wicking. The company that makes the fiber, Unifi, claims it has recycled more than 14 million plastic bottles so far — and it aims to recycle 20 billion by 2020. In addition to helping with finding life for recycled materials, making Repreve fiber conserves water and energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases.
Renewable Energy Air Conditioning
Air conditioning is a massive energy suck, and Blue Frontier wants to do something about it. Mistbox is a product made for air-conditioning systems — it’s a small box that clips onto your unit and works to potentially cut your energy bills by 30%. Mistbox lowers the air temperatures around your air-conditioning unit with its four “Mistbars” that spray water, making the air the unit pulls in cool. This, in turn, enables the unit to use less energy and maximize its efficiency. Mistbox uses a thermal battery to store power for times when there isn’t much wind or sun, and it runs on completely renewable energy.
Products That Reduce Plastic Waste
Using fully compostable, biodegradable, renewable and natural ingredients, Avani makes a full line of sustainable packaging and hospitality products for people around the world. Its products include the Bio-Cassava Bag, Bio-Poncho, polylactic acid (PLA) products, bio-paper products, bio-wooden cutlery and bio-boxes. All of the company’s products aim to replace petroleum-based plastic goods. According to Avani, it has replaced over 3 tons of unsustainable products to date, and it plans on doing much more.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the actual inventions listed in this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These Mind-Blowing Inventions Will Allow the Earth To Support 10 Billion People
Build Your Own Aquaponics System
How does an aquaponics system work, and how can you make your own? Our friends at Crop King Seeds bring us this handy, introductory guide
JP Wood
Presented by: Crop King Seeds
Takeaway: How does an aquaponics system work, and how can you make your own? Our friends at Crop King Seeds bring us this handy, introductory guide.
Aquaponics is what we call a combination of fish farming and hydroponics. It also happens to be one of the best ways to grow a high quality cannabis crop. In marijuana circles, aquaponics are known to produce especially the same kinds of pleasing tastes and smells usually attributed to organically grown plants and fruits.
How to Build an Aquaponics System
When you’re looking to start your own aquaponics system, you have two options: You can go out and purchase an aquaponics system kit, or you can choose to build your own. If you decide to go with the latter, it’s important to remember that you need something called a “flood and drain” system to properly nurture your marijuana. Just make sure your pump works on a timer. It’ll save you a ton of headache.
1. First, you need to drill two holes in the row bed that will be able to fit two bulkheads. These two holes will function as a drain and fill. The next thing that you need to do is to connect the bulkheads to the pump where the holes are. Once the connection is in place, turn on the pump and keep it on for 15 minutes and off for 45 minutes. This process suggests a far more frequent flood cycle than is used in hydroponics. This more frequent flooding provides enough filtration to keep your fish healthy while your plants are growing.r
2. Now it's time for you to put your grow bed on top of your fish tank and fill it with your selected medium. If you're looking for something that will last, then clay is probably your best option. It is ideal to have at least 12 inches of depth on the grow media.
3. Before adding your fish, make sure to cycle your system beforehand. This will help to establish the colony of bacteria that is responsible for the nitrogen in your aquaponics system. Once you have done this, and the fish first begin to create waste, the bacteria will be able to grow and begin to produce the nitrogen that your plants will need. If you don’t cycle properly before you start your plants, you’re not going to have the bacteria levels that you need. This means that your plants will also fewer nutrients than what they require, and your crop will be disappointing. Testing the nitrogen levels, starting with ammonia on the water, will help you determine if the cycle is enough. Always remember that you need to use pure ammonia. This will help you to eventually bring the ammonia levels from starting levels of 2ppm to around 4ppm. Starting higher than 2ppm too soon risks destroying the valuable bacteria.
4. After the next spike in nitrogen levels, you should start seeing nitrite.That spike is caused by the bacteria converting ammonia into nitrite. These nitrites will be consumed and will eventually turn into nitrate. This is the kind of nitrogen that is well suited for plant growth. When the ammonia and nitrite levels read 0 ppm, most of the nitrogen has been converted into nitrate, marking the end of the cycle.
5. Now that the system has finished cycling, it is time to add your plants and fish into the grow medium. Even when you're finished, you're going to need to keep an eye on things to make sure that you reach the proper balance between the plants, fish and bacteria.
Understanding the Dual Root System
In a traditional aquaponics system, you can’t rely solely on the nutrients created by the fish and microbes within the system. While their contributions are valuable, you may still find yourself low on phosphate and potassium. That’s why the Dual Root System was developed as one of the keys to a successful aquaponics cannabis crop.
Use burlap, or any other root permeable material, to separate whatever traditional clay media you may have. Add a soil layer on top of that, and you have your dual root zone. The outer layer of soil gives terrestrial microbes a place to live whole the aquatic layer provides. You can adjust your setup to taste, but this particular arrangement gives you more than enough nutrients and has the added bonus of increased gas exchange between your water and your plants.
By using both biomes of microbes, you can maximize the natural nutrients that your plants are consuming.
Using the dual root system you’re going to: need to use fewer fertilizers on your plants, be able to save a little bit of money, and avoid the hassle of flushing your plants before the flowering phase.
Overall, this method should provide you with a harvest that has a much smoother smoke, and a richer flavor.
Barbados: Teachers' Training College Opens Aquaponics Farm to Staff and Students
The Erdiston Teachers’ Training College is on its way to becoming a green campus. After three months of construction, the institution officially opened its aquaponics farm to the staff and students.
The farm which is being facilitated by the school’s Climate-Smart Aquaponics for a Sustainable Future project, attempts to integrate the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into the primary school science classrooms. The project was planned by a group of third-year University of the West Indies, Bachelors in Education students.
“There are some deficiencies as it relates to the application of STEM [in the schools]. This Climate-Smart Aquaponics initiative bridges the gap. It allows persons to have a sense of how to go about teaching STEM, particularly at the primary level in Barbados,” said aquaponics consultant and project facilitator Rozanne Walrond.
The College science lecturer revealed the facility accommodates 460 plants and small-scale fish farming. It will be chiefly utilised by Erdiston Teachers’ Training College students but will also be open to primary and secondary school students for use. Walrond insists that exposure to aquaponics from an early age would educate students on the importance of sustainable and renewable energies.
“One of the benefits of aquaponics is that… where there is a deficiency in arable land and you have a system of this nature, the opportunities are endless in how much you can actually reap,” she continued.
Walrond disclosed that the opening of the aquaponics farm was the first phase of the college’s plan to become fully sustainable and promote renewable energy. The facility will be using recycled water and will be sustained by solar energy, thanks to the support of Williams Solar which has donated photovoltaic panels.
“We want to become iconic in terms of having this college be promoted as a smart and sustainable institution,” commented Walrond.
US (WV): Good Hot, Dry Weather Helpful in Aquaponics Facility's Construction
The recent hot, dry summer weather has been good as the project moves forward.
Construction work is underway on the aquaponics facility which will be located at Kermit. The recent hot, dry summer weather has been good as the project moves forward. The facility is located on the old Burning Creek Mine property inside the Kermit City limits.
Leasha Johnson, executive director for the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority, said, "With the delivery of the greenhouse expected in early July, we're getting more and more excited about the completion of the aquaponics project. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect the facility to be completed by late August or early September."
"Sprouting Farms, our operating partner, is starting to put together job descriptions. Together with Sprouting Farms, we've engaged a marketing consultant to create a brand identity, logo and core messaging for the facility in order to expand the market that it will serve and to establish the facility's role in the community. We've gotten excellent cooperation and assistance from Mayor (Charles) Sparks and the Town of Kermit, and we're looking forward to the start of an innovative economic development and agriculture project in their community," Johnson added.
The multi-million-dollar project is to be developed on abandoned mine land just in northern Mingo County. When completed it is initially projected to employ about 12 people. The project was originally announced in 2016. It is part of the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Pilot Program and the W.Va. DEP.
When operational, the aquaponics facility and training center will provide 150 kilowatts of solar power, provide healthy and fresh food for local and regional consumers, and represent a model that can be implemented in other coalfield communities, according to Johnson.
Source: Williamson Daily News (Kyle Lovern)
Publication date: 7/1/2019
Conference Theme Announcement: Putting Out Fruits
This year’s Aquaponics Association Annual Conference theme is “Putting Out Fruits”. Putting Out Fruits will take place in Frankfort, Kentucky at Kentucky State University on September 20 – 22nd, 2019
This year’s Aquaponics Association Annual Conference theme is “Putting Out Fruits”. Putting Out Fruits will take place in Frankfort, Kentucky at Kentucky State University on September 20 – 22nd, 2019.
Head to the Putting Out Fruits homepage for ticket info. (http://bit.ly/2UuUzxz)
The aquaponics movement is expanding rapidly, and the Aquaponics Association’s annual conferences are growing along with it. Two years ago we were in Portland, Oregon for “Putting Down Roots”; and last year we were in Hartford, Connecticut for “Putting Up Shoots”. Finally, this year’s theme reflects the culmination of our journey as we take the next step learning and growing together. We will produce tangible “fruits” to advance the practice of aquaponics, both for individual growers and for the aquaponics movement as a whole.
A major component of the Conference will be the tour and interactive session at the KSU Aquaculture Research Center. This Center hosts one of the most advanced aquaculture research programs in the nation, including indoor aquaponics research systems, saltwater aquaponics research, a 30’ x 70’ aquaponics demonstration greenhouse, a 10,000sq foot recirculating aquaculture research building, and 33 research ponds.
We’ve heard from many of you through our online survey [thank you for your input!] and we are excited to focus this year’s content around the following hot topics:
– Integrated pest management
– Nutrient deficiencies and nutrient supplementation
– STEM curriculum and classroom aquaponics
– Growing cannabis in controlled environments
– Food safety
– Organic certification
– International case studies
– “Green” solution applications
– Successes with higher risk / higher reward and non-typical crops in aquaponics
– Post-secondary aquaponics research
Conference attendees will walk away with cutting edge information, new connections and a greater understanding of core knowledge and best practices. In addition to farm-to-table tours and hands on activities, learning tracks will focus on Aquaponics Research, STEM Education, hobby/home aquaponics, commercial farming, and community based endeavors. Interactive sessions will allow all participants to discuss and plan what we can do together to advance aquaponics.
As always, the Conference will feature top aquaponics experts and a vendor showroom of aquaponics technology and services.
We are also still looking for presenters to cover the following topics: aquaculture and fish diseases (recognition and treatment); filtration and biofiltration; automation of aquaponics systems (feeding, monitoring, etc.); and case studies of successful small / medium / large growing facilities. Please submit presentation proposals by July 15.
To purchase your ticket and/or to submit a presentation proposal, please visit https://aquaponicsassociation.org/2019-conference/.
We hope to see you in Kentucky!
Kate Wildrick
Senior Advisor & Conference Planner
Aquaponics Association
A look Inside Balance Farms, Downtown Toledo's Aquaponics Operation
Hidden from prying eyes and tucked beneath a four-story steel and concrete parking garage in the heart of downtown Toledo sits the most unlikely of things — a farm. But this one has no tractors, silos, or scarecrows
JUN 21, 2019
JON CHAVEZ
Hidden from prying eyes and tucked beneath a four-story steel and concrete parking garage in the heart of downtown Toledo sits the most unlikely of things — a farm.
But this one has no tractors, silos, or scarecrows.
Go inside Balance Farms, an 8,168-square foot high-tech “aquaponics” operation located on the first floor of the Tower on the Maumee’s parking garage on Summit Street, and you will find multiple rows of tall racks filled with herbs and leafy greens that are growing robustly in black plastic trays.
Each tray is bathed by ultraviolet light and filled by a three-layer sandwich of nutrient-laden water, shredded coconut husk, and a styrofoam sheet with rows of neatly-spaced holes to hold the hydroponically-grown crops.
“There’s never a rainy day, there’s never a cloudy day in here. We have a controlled light spectrum that gives each plant exactly what they need, and we go from seed to harvest in about four weeks. Every week we’re harvesting about 500 heads of lettuce,” said Prakash “P.K.” Karamchandani, of Balance Pan-Asian Grille, which is the prime beneficiary of Balance Farms’ bountiful and organic harvests.
Mr. Karamchandani and his business partner, HoChan Jang, co-own the Balance restaurant chain, which they founded in 2010 on a premise of tangy and exotic flavors using the freshest ingredients possible.
But Mr. Jang, the chain’s executive chef, menu planner, and in-house foodie, grew increasingly frustrated that his meal planning and menu experimentation was limited by his produce suppliers.
Some items they could not procure, while others could not be obtained regularly or in consistent quantity.
“I’ve experimented with a lot of different peppers. But for some dishes, they’re just not going to have the genuine flavors because I can’t always get what I need,” Mr. Jang said.
So in mid-2016 the two began investigating a way to get the freshest ingredients, in large quantities, and at the exact time when those ingredients would be needed.
Their $715,000 solution was an aquaponics farm adjacent to their downtown Toledo restaurant.
Aquaponics is a self-contained symbiotic system that recirculates waste water from a fish tank through a vegetable bed. The nutrient-rich wastewater feeds the plants, and the plants filter the water to keep the fish healthy.
Neither of the two owners knew much about aquaponics, so they purchased an existing small aquaponics firm in Toledo, Great Greens, which ran an aquaponics farm in the Uptown neighborhood near downtown Toledo and was supplying greens to a small list of area upscale restaurants.
Balance Farms, which is 15 times larger than the operation Great Greens had, went operational in mid-May and already is supplying lettuce and herbs (mostly basil) to Balance Grille’s four Toledo area stores plus a new store in Cleveland. The basil crop has been large enough to sell leftovers at Walt Churchill’s Markets locally and Plum Markets in Ann Arbor.
Plants grow in a multitude of rows inside the 9,000 sq. ft. Balance aquaponics space.(Phillip Kaplan/The Blade)
About 80 percent of the farm will be functioning by July and Mr. Karamchandani expects production levels to hit 100 percent by 2021. A system that will house fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers hasn’t been set up yet but should be operating by this summer.
Modern aquaponics has been around only since about 1979 and it didn’t really take off until the 1990s.
“We’re now past it being a fad stage and people want it to work long-term. People are committed to it and it has taken hold,” said Allen Pattillo, an aquaculture researcher and a specialist in aquaponics at Auburn University in Alabama.
However, aquaponics still faces some real hurdles, he added. For one thing, it’s expensive on a per-cost basis.
“It’s hard to make money in agriculture just in general terms. The margins are thin,” Mr. Pattillo said.
With aquaponics, “The profitability, that’s the tough part,” he said.
In regular agriculture, the distribution markets available to produce growers have long since been established. But that isn’t the case for produce grown using aquaponics.
“The biggest problem that most (aquaponics) people have is they have a hard time selling the stuff they grow. It’s a big problem finding markets for it,” Mr. Pattillo said. “If (Mr. Karamchandani and Mr. Jang) can take theirs onto the retail side already in their restaurants and sell the rest to whomever, that’s a great start.”
Currently, Mr. Pattillo said he is unaware of any restaurant chains that are using aquaponics to vertically integrate their supply chain into their overall business.
“There’s a fellow with a place close to Minneapolis. He’s got a garden center and an organic farm and a restaurant. It’s not all on site, but he’s kind of vertically integrating,” Mr. Pattillo said.
A company in Wisconsin, Superior Fresh, is using aquaponics to grow produce on an industrial scale, but it functions as a produce supplier with its crop going to restaurants and retailers.
The jury is still out, Mr. Pattillo said, as to whether the public really cares enough to pay a little more to buy produce grown with aquaponics.
“We all say we would like to buy some of that nicer stuff, but when it comes right down to it, we might not,” he said. “But people are more likely to try those new fancy things in a restaurant than in the store,” he added.
The Balance owners might have saved money by using a hydroponic system instead of aquaponics.
In hydroponics, plants are grown in water-fed trays, but unlike aquaponics the water isn’t recovered and fed back into the system and the grower must continually buy nutrients, seeds, and other items.
Mr. Karamchandani said he and Mr. Jang made the decision to spend more for a system that was organic but that also was largely self-sustaining. Once Balance Farms is fully functional, the only large expense will be seeds, and even that expense might be offset by sales of excess produce, mature fish, and other by-products.
“We’ve tried to monetize every aspect of this project,” Mr. Karamchandani said.
For example, a small part of their crop is a fish food called duckweed. And when the waste conversion tanks become too filled, some liquid can be drained off, bottled, and sold as liquid plant food.
So far, the urban farm project has about 600 fish, mostly tilapia and koi, swimming in 650 gallon tanks. But there is room for 1,200 fish. The fish tanks and additional tanks that mix wastewater and bacteria to create nitrates that plants can absorb are located in a separate room from the plants.
Both plant water and fish water eventually meet in a computer-controlled mixing system that pumps water to one system or another to keep it all balanced. Overall, the fish tanks and water system to feed the plants contain about 26,000 gallons of water.
Inside the plant room, a climate-controlled system using triple filters regulates the air quality and humidity.
Even tiny flies that hover around the plants are there for a specific purpose: they eat mold that can damage plants. And the fly population is strictly controlled — all are females.
If building an aquaponics farm seems like an extreme step to have a “farm-to-table” experience at a fast casual restaurant, Balance Grille’s owners say it’s worth it.
On the food side, Mr. Jang said, Balance can claim without exaggeration fresher and better tasting greens.
“The flavors are much bolder but the textures are so much more delicate,” Mr. Jang said. “The lettuce is sweeter and it has a better texture.”
If menu items call for exotic greens or peppers, Mr. Jang said he now can grow as much as needed. “And it’s not just a certain item. I can grow hybrids. Really, this is a way we can put our own mark on everything we sell,” he said.
On the business side, Mr. Karamchandani said the aquaponics farm enhances Balance’s corporate brand and pledge of freshness. It also will eventually cut costs and provide new revenue streams.
More importantly, it gives the owners a greater measure of control they have long desired.
On its website, Balance promises “fresh meals, where every ingredient is prepared from whole form, right here in the restaurant.” But up until last month, that promise was more a goal than reality.
“Restaurants by and large revolve around delivery of their product by a supplier. But say you’re expecting a shipment of greens,” Mr. Karamchandani said. “Those greens could have been prepped on a Monday and been sitting in a (refrigeration truck) waiting for shipment on a Wednesday.
“All that work for a product that sat on a truck for a day,” he said.
At Balance Farms, produce is harvested at 6 a.m., distributed locally and in use by 11 a.m. at the restaurants, Mr. Karamchandani said.
“This was so worth it for us,” he said. “Food is such a commodity and not needing to give up control on how we get our supply was important.
Plants grow in a multitude of rows inside the 9,000 sq. ft. Balance aquaponics space.(Phillip Kaplan/The Blade)
“Look outside the restaurant industry and there’s vertical integration everywhere. Look at ProMedica and their recent acquisition. That was all about being vertical,” he said.
It takes about six to eight weeks in dirt to grow lettuce conventionally. “We need just four weeks to bring it to harvest and we can rotate crops so that we’re harvesting fresh greens every week,” Mr. Karamdanchani said.
Eventually, 70 percent of everything grown in their mysterious space with covered windows will supply Balance restaurants. The remaining 30 percent will be sold at local grocery stores.
And while Balance Farms is low-key for now, it will not stay in the shadows long.
The two owners plan to show off their investment in an innovative way.
They have an arrangement with Imagination Station to eventually turn their urban farm into a kind of exhibit demonstrating how a sustainable aquaponics farm operates.
Mr. Karamchandani said a live exhibit is a natural fit for Balance’s philosophy.
“People want transparency. They want freshness but they want to be assured how that freshness occurred,” he said. “When this is ready you will see every part, see the entire process of how we grow everything that we put on the table.”
Canadian Aquaponics - Canada's Source For Aquaponic Information and News
Most aquaponic systems are single loop and fully recirculating. This means that the fish and plants exist in a single loop and share the same nutrient rich water
A place to learn and stay current with what's happening in the world of Aquaponics
TUESDAY, 18 JUNE 2019
Decoupled Aquaponics
Why Decoupled Aquaponics
Most aquaponic systems are single loop and fully recirculating. This means that the fish and plants exist in a single loop and share the same nutrient rich water. The reason these are the most popular is because they are simple to build and operate. But single loop systems are also a compromise because the plants, fish and bacteria must all be happy in the same solution. So for example, the temperature and pH levels must be maintained at levels that satisfy all the organisms, rather than being optimized for each.
pH is maintained in a range to satisfy fish, plants and bacteria in a single loop system
In a dual loop system, these parameters can be maintained optimally at different levels in each loop. Additionally, if something goes wrong, there are more options to address the situation without affecting everything in the system. So for example, if pests need to be treated on the plant side, it can be done without adversely affecting the fish.
How Decoupled Systems Work
A typical decoupled system consists of a stand-alone RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) loop and a hydroponic plant loop. The sludge from the RAS system is digested in the biological waste system which provides the nutrients for the hydroponic system. Using a digester makes the system more efficient because the nutrients plants need (aside from Nitrogen) are trapped in the solid waste. The aerobic digester (a fancy term for a simple tank with air-stones in it) mineralizes the solid waste, releasing the nutrients the plants need.
A Simple Decoupled System
A small decoupled system can be very easy to build and operate. If an AST bead filter is used, the fish loop is reduced to two components (fish tank and bead filter) because bead filter combines both bio-filtration and very efficient mechanical filtration. It also makes the system very easy to maintain and operate because it is self-cleaning. The following video shows simple the decoupled system can be with an AST bead filter.
The Heart of the System: AST Polygeyser Bead Filter
Although the video above shows a smaller endurance filter, the AST Polygeyser 3 cubic foot automatic backwash bead filter can be used to build a similar system that supports up to 60 m2 of plant area (900 gallon fish tank with up to 4.5 pounds of feed per day input).
Posted by JustAquaponics.ca at 20:28 Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Labels: Best Practices, Decoupled Aquaponics, Education, Mineralization, Reference
Balance Grille Founders Building Aquaponics Farm In Downtown Toledo
A simplified supply chain, lower food prices and increased quality control are are just three benefits expected from a daring venture by the founders of Toledo-based Balance Pan-Asian Grille
March 9, 2018 | by S.A. Whitehead
A simplified supply chain, lower food prices and increased quality control are are just three benefits expected from a daring venture by the founders of Toledo-based Balance Pan-Asian Grille. Prakash Karamchandani and HoChan Jang are building an 8,600-square-foot aquaponics farm in the middle of downtown Toledo, Ohio, next to the chain's newest location opening this month on Summit Street.
Kale and rainbow swiss chard in the R&D facility's deep water channel setup being used at Toledo aquaponics farm, which is controlled environment agriculture, using no pesticides, allowing immediate consumption of produce. Photo by Jeff Kamp of Plur Films.
Aquaponics is an efficient system of farming that uses fish to cultivate plants, which, in turn, helps purify the water.
And even though it's innovative and very "green," plunking down one of these farms in the middle of the Rust Belt city's downtown may not seem like the choice location for such an operation,
Karamchandani said, for Balance Grille, it's just about perfect.
"Our customers know not just where our ingredients are sourced, they can visit the facility and view the production happen," he said in an interview with QSRWeb, referring to the farm's location adjacent the brand's newest restaurant. "Our brand is gaining visibility in multiple channels, including grocery stores and our brand is differentiated."
The venture has taken about two years, a lot of creative thinking and cutting through miles of red tape with both the property owners and the city of Toledo, but if things work out as planned, the farm promises big payoffs.
"We will be able to offer local organic produce year-round in Ohio's climate," Karamchandani said. "We are connected deeper in our community with new relationships, including with children's science and learning museum, Imagination Station, which will be organizing educational tours for school children and adults."
It may sound like a lofty goal for the four-unit chain, but these restaurateurs like to embrace innovation. Last year, for example, they instituted a "managerless" form of restaurant operation, so this kind of project is right in line with the way these two University of Toledo graduates think.
Of course, QSRweb wanted to know more, so check out our recent interview with Karamchandani.
Q: Local sourcing is a huge demand now from restaurant brands and this certainly is right in line with that. Why was that important enough to your brand to go to the somewhat extreme lengths of operating your own aquaponics facility?
A: I realize "local" has been a buzzword in our industry for several years now, and it's almost becoming cliché. [But] going back to our roots, as restaurateurs, we want to nourish our neighbors/community. From a nutrition perspective, the faster we can get product from the field to the store, the better overall quality we offer to our customers.
From an economic perspective, we're keeping the dollars within our community. From a culinary perspective, we have a direct connection to producers allowing for some really unique opportunities compared to standard "big box" distributors.
Q: When and why did you decide to go for an aquaponics facility?
A: We decided to continue vertical integration in late 2015. We had an existing dry-stock warehouse and distribution servicing our three area restaurants. We added cold refrigerated storage and delivery capability and found we could help a few small producers with their local delivery route.
One of our producers specialized in microgreens and we connected with the aquaponics method of food production, the balanced relationship between fish and plants. Over approximately a year, we began to play with a couple of R&D prototype systems to try and grow a variety of ingredients outside of the microgreens we use on our menu.
Space in the farm was limited (an old warehouse, under 1,700 square feet), so we were unable to move beyond the testing phase. But, we were hooked. In 2017, we purchased the farming operation, formed an operating partnership, and began to develop plans for a production-level facility.
Q: Why downtown Toledo and where are you in the development process?
A: We located the new farm next to our flagship Downtown Toledo Ohio location opening Q1 2018. Its footprint is 8600 square feet, and located in the first-floor retail area of a historic parking garage in the heart of the commercial district. As of the end of February 2018, our space is in the demolition phase of construction while we complete permit approval with the City of Toledo.
Q: So how does this work and what will be grown there?
A: The grow facility will be comprised of the plant grow space, a small tank room/workshop and an office. The plant grow space will be comprised of 15-by-36-foot rack systems, each three to four tiers tall, depending on ceiling height.
Each tier will house specific grow systems with LED grow-spectrum lighting. Racks will be specialized in deep-water channel, dutch-bucket style, and thin-film channel type grow systems. We will be able to section off areas to adjust temperature and humidity, so racks can be grouped and specialized for a specific crop.
Our crops will include leafy greens, micro greens, living and harvest herbs and certain fruiting vegetables (primarily peppers and tomatoes), although we can theoretically produce nearly any crop that grows above ground. We will also have 4-by-600g tanks used to raise tilapia fish, which will be sold live for pond/lake stocking or algae control, not for consumption. In the future, we hope to add freshwater prawn/shrimp propagation to the system.
"Our customers know not just where our ingredients are sourced, they can visit the facility and view the production happen. ... We are connected deeper in our community with new relationships, including with children's science and learning museum, Imagination Station, which will be organizing educational tours for school children and adults."
Q: Operationally, how much will the farm cost to run and how is that being incorporated into your expenses and balance sheet?
A: We have modeled the operating overhead, labor, and debt service into our crop sales internally to our own restaurants, which account for 70 percent of the facility's initial production capacity. Fully burdened, we are conservatively anticipating a 10 percent reduction in ingredient cost from the restaurant's perspective. The remaining 30-plus percent of production capacity will primarily generate profit for the company.
Q: Why aquaponics as opposed to other types of agriculture?
A: Aquaponics, like hydroponics, allows for year-round growth and consistent crop harvest, perfect for restaurant supply purposes. [Likewise], hydroponics often uses chemical fertilizer and has a high water waste ratio. This combination's runoff would add to an existing algae problem in our area of Lake Erie, similar to traditional field or hoop-house type agriculture.
Aquaponics is differentiated because it is inherently organic: Feed the fish, and allow the plants to act as the water's filter. On an ongoing basis, regarding water waste we are only adding water to offset the system's natural evaporation, a few gallons per day.
Q: Where have you turned for expert input on this operation and making it work business-wise?
A: Our operating partner is obviously a great resource. But our area has a rich agricultural heritage, and we have community resources like the Center for Innovative Food Technology and Agricultural Incubator, less than 30 minutes away. We have also visited multiple commercial aquaponics facilities in the Midwest to learn from their experiences and acquire best practices.
Q: Are you aware of other restaurant brands globally using an aquaponics farm for sourcing?
A: As of this interview, we are unaware of any restaurant brands vertically integrated to the degree we are. Generally, we don't make it a practice to watch other restaurant brands. Our goal has always been to focus on our own cultural values. If we are missing out on a similar effort, we'd love to connect and share insights!
Q: Where do you see this going in the future and how will you measure for success?
A: If Balance Farms continues to be a successful part of our brand, we plan to add an aquaponics facility to each metro area we grow to. We will be watching basic financial and operational metrics, including profit margin, the effect on our restaurant's P&L and volume of product produced.
Our only advice (to others in the business) is to follow your passion where it leads you.
Topics: Sustainability
Award-winning veteran print and broadcast journalist, Shelly Whitehead, has spent most of the last 30 years reporting for TV and newspapers, including the former Kentucky and Cincinnati Post and a number of network news affiliates nationally. She brings her cumulative experience as a multimedia storyteller and video producer to the web-based pages of Pizzamarketplace.com and QSRweb.com after a lifelong “love affair” with reporting the stories behind the businesses that make our world go ‘round. Ms. Whitehead is driven to find and share news of the many professional passions people take to work with them every day in the pizza and quick-service restaurant industry. She is particularly interested in the growing role of sustainable agriculture and nutrition in food service worldwide and is always ready to move on great story ideas and news tips.
Tradeoffs In Aquaponics Vs Hydroponics, By The Numbers
Enhanced flavor and higher consumer preference for ecologically grown products make aquaponics better aligned with consumer and operator interests
Part two in our “Lean manufacturing for indoor agriculture” series
Nov 26, 2017
In our previous blog post, we made the case that aquaponics enables better capacity management for indoor agriculture than hydroponics. The basis of our argument is that aquaponics is a “just-in-time” manufacturing system — multiple SKUs with different nutrient requirements can be produced in the same aquaponic system simultaneously without sacrificing quality or yield, whereas multiple hydroponic systems with different nutrient recipes would be required to achieve similar quality and yield.
This is one of the key reasons that we believe aquaponics is the future of indoor farming.
But what if you stripped away all the benefits of aquaponics? Is aquaponics still competitive with hydroponics on cost if you assumed the same yield, quality, and breadth of product with no fish sales? Unwinding this is the purpose of this blog post, and we find that aquaponics is slightly more expensive with costs 2% higher than those in hydroponics as a percentage of revenue. To compensate for this, aquaponic operators will need to utilize the capacity management methods discussed in our previous blog post to achieve throughputs ~2% higher than their hydroponic counterparts. Below, we break down how we got to these numbers.
But first, there are trade offs besides cost in choosing aquaponics over hydroponics. Let’s start with aquaponics’ unique barriers to entry.
Nonstarters
The first two tradeoffs with aquaponics are existential. The inability to overcome these first two tradeoffs will make it highly unlikely the aquaponic farm will get off the ground.
Lack of off-the-shelf systems and expertise. If you want to be a commercial hydroponics operator, there are dozens of top-notch hydroponic design and consulting firms who can construct turnkey, state-of-the-art hydroponic farms anywhere in the world and even bring in an experienced grower to run the operation. If you’re a hobbyist, you can buy an off the shelf hydroponic system, along with the hydroponic bible, Howard Resh’s Hydroponic Food Production, and get yourself 80% of the way there (it’s great — aquaponic hobbyists should buy it too and get themselves 50% of the way there). In short, hydroponic education and expertise is accessible.
In aquaponics, while there are experts who have designed large scale commercial operations, these experts are few and far between. Scaling an aquaponic farm relies on finding these people, most of whom are not in the US. On the education front, while there are books on aquaponics, the true leaders of the movement are PhD-level researchers who have published narrowly focused academic papers as opposed to accessible, comprehensive, authoritative guidebooks. It’s on operators to find the right people, design a stable system, and implement a comprehensive operating plan.
Keeping the fish and plants healthy, at the same time. This is a big one. Each piece of the aquaponic ecosystem — the fish that supply manure, the bacteria that break down the manure into nutrients that are bioavailable to the plants, and the plants that absorb those nutrients and drive revenue — requires slightly different environmental conditions. Optimizing for plant health, as a result, requires monitoring three different systems as opposed to one.
Even if you were to install a well-designed aquaponic system and manage the operational tradeoffs, black swan events happen. If the fish develop an infection, if you develop a fly infestation, or if pythium (a common fungus that wreaks havoc on plants) takes root, the standard remedies of antibiotics for fish or toxic pesticides for crops won’t cut it in a traditional aquaponic design.
Your production is entirely dependent on maintaining a healthy ecosystem and plant microbiome. When you kill the bad microbes through antibiotics or pesticides, they tend to kill the good microbes too. Most pesticides, even organic ones, are not “fish safe” — fish are particularly chemical sensitive. For aquaponic farmers, the ecological approach to farming doesn’t just apply when yields are steady. It applies 24/7, 365 days a year, barring traditional, toxic, pesticidal approaches to solving these problems.
All that said, hydroponic and aquaponic operations are converging towards similar operating constraints due to technology improvements and consumer demand. One of the most sought after labels in produce is “pesticide free”. As a result, many of the latest generation of hydroponic operators have taken up the label, limiting themselves to the same biological and ecological remedies aquaponic operators are inherently restricted too. At the same time, “decoupled” aquaponic systems, where water only flows in one direction — from the fish to the plants (and not back again) — are growing in popularity due to their ability to treat the plants without worrying about the effect on fish. The result is the ability to use the same plant treatments as a traditional hydroponic facility.
Luckily for all camps, there are plenty of ways to remedy these issues in pesticide free facilities that are more cost effective than traditional approaches. In indoor farms especially, the incidence of most issues can be reduced through rigorous standard operating procedures for both day to day practices and early detection of and response to ecological stress.
If you’re confident that you have the expertise to design a stable aquaponic system and to handle both the operating basics and ecological considerations during black swan events, then it’s worth digging into the operating costs of aquaponics and hydroponics.
Comparing operating costs
There are certain added costs associated with aquaponics — there’s no free lunch, so growing all those fish has to be accounted for somewhere. For aquaponics to be a better business than hydroponics, the added costs must be compensated for by either higher throughput of salad greens or fish. In our previous blog post, we showed how aquaponics can achieve higher throughput than hydroponics. In this analysis, assuming fish are never sold, we show that throughput needs to be ~2% higher in order for aquaponics to beat hydroponics on cost, which is well within aquaponics’ potential.
We have put these tradeoffs in a spreadsheet for a more convenient comparison. You can see the spreadsheet here, while reading below for context. The numbers here are not reflective of Edenworks’ designs and projections. We’re basically asking “if we ran our competitor’s farms aquaponically instead of hydroponically, what would the business look like?” For example, Gotham Greens projected an EBITDA for their first facility at “greater than 15%,” and so we’ve targeted a 15% EBITDA margin for the hydroponic facility, then made a few changes based on industry-standard assumptions to back out the aquaponic cost analysis.
source: Edenworks spreadsheet analysis
The following line items are the largest cost differences:
Added expense of fish feed. While hydroponic fertilizer is most often composed of mined mineral salts, fish feed for aquaponics has the fat and protein that the fish need along with the minerals that both plants and fish need. For aquaponics in a recirculating shallow water culture system, we calculate¹ the expense of fish feed to be about 9 cents per pound of harvested greens, a 7 cent premium over synthetic hydroponic fertilizer. Assuming best in class yields for both systems, this comes out to a 1.4% difference in nutrient costs between the two systems, as a percentage of revenue. However, with the world farming more fish than ever before, new technologies are coming online that are expected to substantially lower the price of fish feed, while also making the feed more sustainable.
Added labor. Most indoor farming facilities have a long way to go until they can be considered highly automated. Despite incorporating automation and machine learning techniques for things like climate control and disease detection, modern indoor farms still complete many tasks, such as harvesting, by hand. The biggest labor efficiency gains are fertilizer (i.e. hydroponic / aquaponic) agnostic. Those gains come from automating the movement of plants through the production system, along with the unit tasks of seeding, transplanting, harvesting, packaging, and cleaning. This is where Edenworks has invested substantially in IP, but that’s a story for another post.
All that said, raising fish does require someone who knows how to spot potential health issues, how to harvest fish, and how to maintain aquaculture equipment. None of this is time intensive, but it does require hiring an aquaculture specialist at each facility.
Space for the fish. Aquaponic fish tanks and hydroponic nutrient reservoirs require similar space. However, aquaponic systems require a bit more space overall for the extra pumps, sumps, and biofilters for converting fish waste into nutrition for the plants — an additional 1.7% more space in our analysis of an approximately 70,000 square foot hydroponic facility. Assuming rent for warehouse space is $10 per square foot, this comes out to a difference of 0.1% of revenue.
Quantifying the total trade-off.
Assumptions are based on commonly used designs, equipment, and raw material suppliers, which are noted in the spreadsheet. Furthermore, in order to get close to an apples to apples comparison, we assumed the following:
Both systems sell baby greens for the same price.
Revenue from fish, and the associated costs of selling fish are not included.
Both systems are vertically stacked, indoor farms.
Yields for both hydroponic and aquaponic systems are the same. For the purpose of this study, we use our yield estimate for AeroFarms. AeroFarms has projected yields of 2 million lbs of greens at their Newark facility. Looking at the size of their facility (69,000 s.f.) and their geometry, we estimate their growing space is ~160,000 s.f.² in vertically stacked beds. This gives AeroFarms 12.5 lbs yield / s.f. / year, which is in line with other best-in-class yields for hydroponic and aquaponic indoor leafy greens farm.
Both systems have similar needs, and therefore costs, for the following line items: energy, packaging, growing medium, seeds, delivery, rent, cleaning and other general farm supplies, and merchandising.
This leaves just three significant differences between the costs of the two systems: nutrients (fish feed vs synthetic fertilizer), labor (employing an aquaculture specialist vs. having one less employee), and rent (extra space needed to break down organic nutrients vs. not needing extra space).
Given the assumptions behind these hypothetical facilities, we estimate aquaponic systems’ costs as a percentage of revenue are 2 percentage points higher than hydroponics’. In order to compensate for these added costs, aquaponic facilities need to sell 2% more of their capacity than hydroponic facilities. As explained in our previous post, with typical per-SKU sales swings in packaged salad of up to 20% week on week, hydroponic farms that cannot grow different crops in the same production system suffer from significant capacity constraints. Aquaponics, on the other hand, can grow wide varieties of crops in the same production system, enabling them to sell higher percentage of their capacity (certainly higher than 2% more).
To top it all off, enhanced flavor and higher consumer preference for ecologically grown products make aquaponics better aligned with consumer and operator interests. It is for these reasons, in addition to its competitiveness with hydroponics on cost, that we believe aquaponics will become the primary fertilization technology for indoor operators as the market continues to grow.
¹ This calculation is based on standard aquaponic feed ratios from Dr. James Rakocy and hydroponic feed ratios from Howard Resh’s book Hydroponic Food Production. These calculations are in the third tab of the spreadsheet and are what we used in this analysis. Comparing one “standard” feed rate to another “standard” feed rate seemed apples to oranges to us though, so we also compared feed costs based on nitrogen content of each feed, and came up with very similar cost ratios. These are presented in the fourth tab of the spreadsheet.
² Aerofarms’ bedspace estimation comes from public websites. For bed width and length, see (a) and (b). For number of beds, see (b) and (c).
(a) https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US8533992.pdf
(b) http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2015/07/28/farming-in-sky-inside-wall-street-backed-vertical-farm.html
(c) https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/realestate/commercial/in-newark-a-vertical-indoor-farm-helps-anchor-an-areas-revival.html
Pentair Is Closing Urban Organics, A Pioneering Aquaponics venture That In Six Years Had Become A Darling of Minnesota’s Sustainable-Food Community
The water-filtration company said the fish and greens business didn't meet expectations
The water-filtration company said the fish and greens business didn't meet expectations.
By Kristen Leigh Painter Star Tribune
MAY 14, 2019
Pentair decided to close Urban Organics, an 87,000-square-foot indoor fish and produce farm in a former brewery in St. Paul. File photo of employee Nancy Espinosa placing plants into their pods at the facility in June 2017.Urban Organics raised fish and grew salad greens year-round in a closed-loop system in the former Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul. Fish excrement nourished the plants and the plants cleaned the water for the fish, a process known as recirculated aquaculture.
A Pentair spokeswoman said “the realization of the business model did not meet our expectations,” but declined to explain whether the concerns were financial, operational or both.
The company notified employees last week of the decision to shut it down. The final produce will be harvested this week and the last fish will be removed, killed and sold by late next week, a Pentair spokeswoman said.
The news shocked the Twin Cities food community. Tracy Singleton, owner of Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis, bought winter salad greens for her restaurant from Urban Organics.
“For us, it’s a disappointment. We don’t know why it is closing,” Singleton said. “It just seems like yesterday we catered their grand opening. Everyone was so excited about the potential to scale this supply. It fit our standards and we felt this was a good addition to our local food shed.”
RICHARD SENNOTT • STAR TRIBUNE
An employee checked a row of cilantro being grown in soil fertilized by nutrients from live fish at Urban Organics. The aquaculture operation is closing.
The company was founded in 2013 in the old Hamm’s Brewery by Dave Haider, Kristen Haider, Fred Haberman and Chris Ames. It was a smaller facility, and well-known local chefs were eager to buy the product from the operation. Pentair approached the Haiders, a husband-and-wife duo, several years ago about a potential partnership.
This led to the massive expansion at the Schmidt Brewery, which was heralded as one of the world’s largest commercial aquaponics systems when it opened in 2017. Pentair bought out the founders, becoming the sole owner, a year ago.
Pentair, based in England but largely managed from Golden Valley, has undergone immense change in the past two years.
Last April, it spun off its electrical business into a new entity, nVent. Like its predecessor, it too is officially based in England but largely run out of its U.S. headquarters in St. Louis Park. Last May, Pentair promoted John Stauch to chief executive.
The company declined to outline specifically how Urban Organics failed to meet its expectations, but the water-filtration company has been working to refocus itself.
Urban Organics was its only food-based business and fell outside its core capabilities. Pentair has an interest in seeing indoor aquaponics and aquaculture succeed. It began supplying Urban Organics’ equipment in 2013.
“Our combined goal was to help incubate an industry, and Pentair invested in the venture through technological and scientific expertise, and financial resources,” a Pentair spokeswoman said via e-mail.
Birchwood Cafe bought tilapia from Urban Organics before Pentair’s ownership, Singleton said. In the new facility, Urban Organics focused on arctic char and rainbow trout, but she saw some problems emerge.
“It doesn’t seem like they were ever able to get their fish program online and we don’t know why,” Singleton said. “We were excited about that option and it didn’t materialize.”
The sudden closure raised questions, though, about the viability of the industry.
“We were very supportive of Urban Organics from day one,” said Mike Higgins, chief executive of the Fish Guys, a key Minneapolis-based distributor of fresh, sustainably grown fish to restaurants and retailers in the Upper Midwest. “Globally, people are pursuing [recirculated aquaculture] at a vigorous rate; the science is indeed there.”
There are large facilities being built around the U.S., he said, including massive indoor farms in Maine and South Florida.
He expects aquaponic companies that farm salmon, like Superior Fresh of Hixton, Wis., will be successful given the high demand. That company is financially backed by the Wanek family, owners of Ashley Furniture.
As a buyer, Higgins said, the feasibility of the business comes down to the quality and the selling price of their products to make it accessible to more than a small niche audience.
Pentair said this decision isn’t an indictment on indoor aquaculture as a whole. “We continue to believe there is a long-term strategy for aquaponics in urban areas, however the realization of the business model did not meet our expectations,” Pentair said in an e-mail.
The company doesn’t yet know what it will do with the $12 million, 87,000-square-foot facility at the old Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul. The operations will be completely shut down by June 14, and 27 employees will be affected. Pentair said it is offering transition resources to those workers.
Dave Haider, who became general manager under Pentair’s ownership, declined to comment.
Kristen Leigh Painter covers the food industry for the Star Tribune. She previously covered growth and development for the paper. Prior to that, Painter was a business reporter at the Denver Post, covering airlines and aerospace. She frequently writes about sustainable food production, consumer food trends and airlines.
How An Aquaponic Vertical Farm Improved Food Safety
Lana Bandoim Contributor
Food & Drink I write about food tech and science.
Food poisoning is a common problem across the globe, and 600 million people become sick after eating contaminated food every year. As the agricultural sector continues to find ways to deal with foodborne illnesses, startups are looking for innovative ways to help. Jason Green, the CEO and co-founder of Edenworks, shared more in an interview.
Edenworks is a Brooklyn startup that designs and operates vertical aquaponic farms to produce a range of foods for grocers. Its products include leafy greens, such as kale and chard, and seafood, such as salmon and shrimp. The company's mission is to become the world’s largest fresh food supplier by replacing globalized supply chains with local products that are sustainable, organic and inexpensive.
"We grow in vertically stacked shelves. Imagine bunk beds full of greens. Each shelf contains a series of rafts floating on water. The water both fertilizes and irrigates the plants, as well as helps move the plants from point A to point B. This system of floating rafts is common in Dutch greenhouses and goes back as far as the Aztecs, who grew on chinampas or rectangular plots of land that floated in shallow lakebeds. It is a simple, robust and ecologically-focused system that has worked for thousands of years. We have taken this technology and automated within a vertical farming context," Green explains.
Fish swim in tanks at the Edenworks aquaponics farm in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
© 2019 BLOOMBERG FINANCE LP
Edenworks recently announced that it has eliminated foodborne pathogens, including E. coli, reduced crop disease incidence from 25% of harvests down to 1% and improved sustainability by more than 50 times compared to conventional farming practices. Its focus on removing foodborne pathogens is important because the CDC shares that leafy greens account for 23% of all cases of foodborne illness in the U.S. In 2018, romaine lettuce experienced three different E.coli outbreaks and was off the shelves for a significant period of time. The most common source of E. coli contamination is irrigation water on farms.
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"Edenworks improved food safety with safer irrigation via better microbiology. We eliminated the presence of E. coli from irrigation water without the use of sanitizers or other chemicals. By understanding the conditions under which E. coli can and cannot thrive, versus the conditions where beneficial microbes thrive and compete for resources with E. coli, we have engineered a farm that is structurally resistant to the growth of E. coli on the microbial level," Green says.
Edenworks tests for E. coli throughout its system, both in aquaculture and horticulture, three times per week, which exceeds the regulatory standard of five times per year. For over eighteen months, Edenworks has charted zero detectable levels of E. coli, verified by independent laboratory testing.
"Cold chain integrity: Pathogens rapidly develop when temperatures exceed 40 degrees F. As a result, harvesting, washing, drying, packaging and shipping all ideally occur below 40 degrees, which is a sequence of refrigerated steps known as the cold chain. Field farms are not able to maintain refrigeration between harvesting in the field and bringing product in for washing. As an indoor grower, we can, and so we are able to maintain the cold chain all the way until product is delivered to customers," Green shares.
Green also explains that Edenworks relies on automation. Human operators are the largest food safety threat for indoor farms because they are the vectors or the carriers of pathogens. The company has developed automation systems for every step from seed to package, so human hands never need to touch the product.
Lana Bandoim Contributor
I am a freelance writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. My work has appeared on Yahoo! News, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The Week, MSN Money and many other publications. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from Butler University and graduated summa cum laude with a double major in biology and chemistry. I specialize in science, tech and health content. I have been a judge for the Scholastic Writing Awards from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. My work has been nominated for a Best Short form Science Writing award.