Re-circulating indoor vertical farm: Technicalities of an automated duckweed biomass production system and protein feed product quality evaluation

Petersen, Finn; Demann, Johannes; Salzen, Jannis von; Olfs, Hans‐Werner; Westendarp, Heiner; Wolf, Petra; Appenroth, Klaus‐J.; Ulbrich, Andreas

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134894

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…CFD models were used to map flow fluid dynamics in duckweed bioreactors with variable tray design, and operational settings of water depth and flow rate, as detailed in Maguire et al (2023). The system described by Petersen et al (2022) has just one inlet per tray, but hydrodynamic modeling (Maguire et al, 2023) demonstrated that multiple inlets will improve homogeneity of flow. Therefore, a double inlet was incorporated in the design of trays for the present system.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three replicates of a multi‐tiered duckweed system (Figure 1) were constructed and have been successfully used for a range of research and development projects at University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Currently, just one design of a multi‐tiered system has been described in the literature (Petersen et al, 2022). Several differences with the system described in the current report are notable.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several differences with the system described in the current report are notable. These include the choice for stainless steel trays in the current system, versus acrylic glass trays in the system by Petersen et al (2022). Stainless steel has the advantage of strength, and acrylic glass has the advantage of its lightweight structure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An early prototype was used to inform aspects of design, particularly concerning the use of a gravity‐fed flow to supply a multi‐tiered series of trays with medium. Furthermore, recent research by Petersen et al (2022) gave further guidance. The current system provides a baseline for quantitative performance assessment at a realistic scale for potential implementation in an industrial environment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…So far, duckweed biomass production and duckweed‐based phytoremediation of wastewaters typically involve ponds, lagoons, or serpentine (raceway) systems, which are sometimes covered by roofed structures to minimize ingress of precipitation (Coughlan et al, 2022; Xu et al, 2012). However, several academic and industry groups are now pioneering indoor growth systems composed of multi‐tiered (i.e., vertically stacked) layers that, in theory, can substantially increase plant biomass yield and phytoremediation capacity per unit area of land (Coughlan et al, 2022; Goddek et al, 2019; Petersen et al, 2022). Multi‐tiered duckweed cultivation systems comprise a novel approach to high‐capacity duckweed cultivation under controlled, indoor conditions, independent from weather and climate influences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the rise: Development of a multi‐tiered, indoor duckweed cultivation system

Coughlan,

Maguire,

Oommen

et al. 2023

Water Environment Research

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Duckweed species (Lemnaceae) are suitable for remediation and valorization of agri‐feed industry wastewaters and therefore can contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy where waste is a resource. Industrial applications will, however, require space efficient cultivation methods that are not affected by prevailing weather conditions. Here, the development and operation of a multi‐tiered duckweed bioreactor is described. The developed prototype bioreactor depicted in this paper is composed of four cultivation layers (1 m2 each) with integrated LED lighting (generating up to 150 μmol m−2 s−1), a system of pumps and valves to manage the recirculatory flow (2.5 L min−1) of wastewater, and an automatic harvesting system. Using a nutrient poor medium, good growth of the duckweed species Lemna minor was achieved in the bioreactor, and this was matched by strong nutrient depletion from the medium, especially for phosphorus (45‐mg total phosphorus [TP] removed per m−2 day−1). A fully automatic harvesting arm reliably captured similar amounts of duckweed biomass across multiple harvesting cycles, revealing a future scenario whereby labor and interventions by human operators are minimized. Further developments to advance the system towards fully automated operation will include, for example, the use of specific nutrient sensors to monitor and control medium composition. It is envisaged that multi‐tiered, indoor bioreactors can be employed in the agri‐feed industry where wastewaters are, in many cases, continuously generated throughout the year and need remediating immediately to avoid costly storage. Given the extensive use of automation technology in conventional wastewater treatment plants, multi‐tiered duckweed bioreactors can be realistically integrated within the operating environment of such treatment plants.Practitioner Points Duckweed is suitable for remediation and valorization of agri‐feed wastewater. Industrial duckweed applications require space efficient cultivation methods. Development and operation of a multi‐tiered duckweed bioreactor is detailed. Flow dynamics and automatic harvesting in the bioreactor are optimized. It is concluded that a multi‐tiered bioreactor can be used in industry.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%