[ad_1]
Environmentally controlled agriculture combines transparent and energy efficient solar panels; low energy desiccant cooling; edible salt tolerant plants; and algal biotechnology. Credit: © 2020 KAUST; Ivan Gromicho
Efficient greenhouse complexes that will produce crops using the resources available on desert coasts could improve food security for millions of people.
Emerging technologies can be harnessed to use the strengths of the hot and humid coastal deserts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to grow food and other crops.
KAUST researchers are calling for a new generation of large greenhouse complexes, supported by new solar panels, air-cooling technologies and advances in salt-tolerant agriculture. Their concept could launch a revolution in sustainable agriculture in coastal desert regions around the world.
“Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) uses integrated systems to facilitate the sustainable and local growth of large-scale crops,” explains Kyle Lauersen, synthetic biologist. “Our vision combines several technologies currently in development at KAUST: transparent and energy efficient solar panels; low energy desiccant cooling; edible salt tolerant plants; and algal biotechnology. “
The coastal areas of the MENA region have wide access to seawater and intense sunshine all year round. The CEA allows seawater to be used to grow salt-tolerant crops, such as newly identified varieties of tomatoes and green vegetables. Mixed irrigation means ACE would have less impact on municipal supplies. To get extra fresh water, the researchers plan to harvest moist air.
“We are excited about developments in cooling technologies that exploit liquid desiccants,” says researcher Ryan Lefers. “Desiccants are highly concentrated substances that absorb water from the air – think of the silica packs found in electronic packaging. When moist air is pumped through a liquid desiccant system, it uses a highly saline liquid solution to absorb the moisture. “
The air released by the system is drier and cooler and can circulate in the greenhouses, while the captured fresh water is collected. The build-up of excessive heat inside greenhouses is a major concern in the MENA region. A solution comes from the start-up KAUST iyris: which uses semi-transparent solar panels as windows. These panels allow visible light to pass through for plant growth, while converting infrared energy (heat) into electricity.
The researchers also hope to combine the growth of plants and algae to generate not only food, but also biomass feedstocks for aquaculture, animal feed, chemical industry products and bioplastics. Algae can be grown in photobioreactors inside the CEA, and this co-culture would increase the output value of the system.
“We see incredible potential for mixtures of regionally inspired freshwater and salt tolerant species in different facilities, depending on market demand,” says Lauersen. “It is becoming increasingly important to produce food and products close to the communities that need them. The CEA will also ensure food security, jobs and an economic base for exports throughout the year.
“This is where multidisciplinary research really takes off,” says plant scientist Mark Tester. “A pilot CEA greenhouse is being built at KAUST as part of our spinoff company Red Sea Farms, and we will be working with colleagues from the university and beyond to demonstrate the exciting potential of CEA.
Reference: “Emerging Technologies to Enable Sustainable Agriculture in a Controlled Environment in Extreme Environments in Coastal Regions of the Middle East and North Africa” by Ryan M. Lefers, Mark Tester and Kyle J. Lauersen, July 2, 2020 , Frontiers of phytology.
DOI: 10.3389 / fpls.2020.00801
[ad_2]
Source link