Experiences towards Space Agriculture Design

Alberto LÓPEZ, Agritecture - Costa Rica

Transcript

1. Experiences towards Space Agriculture Design From Plant factory systems designed for advanced crop cultivation to closing the agricultural loops Alberto Lopez Biosystems Engineer
2. Focus and development Biosystems Design Developing a brief of requirements to generate and assess potential solutions Resource Analysis Key focus areas of the system, key constraints Closed-Loop CEA Implement waste stream recovery to Controlled Environment Agriculture integration Economic Feasibility Cost Optimization, trade-off analysis
3. DLR Vertical Farm Model: Subsystem identification Building Dimensions Footprint: 75 m × 35 m (2,625 m²) Total height: 30 meters Five modules (6 m floor-to-floor) Functional Zoning Ground floor: Processing, cold storage, logistics Four production levels Central core for operations
4. System Analysis General Flow Inputs • Seeds The lifecycle moves from Sowing to the Vegetative/Generative stage, concluding at Harvest. • Artificial light • Heat • CO₂ • Irrigation water and nutrients Internal Recycling • Reclaims water from air runoff (transpiration) • Recovers surplus heat from the illumination system Outputs • Harvested biomass as edible matter (product) • Harvested biomass as inedible matter (waste)
5. Growx: Vertical Farm Building and operations Start up constraints Behind Schedule Main cell starting construction No idea what to grow Solutions Clearly defined targets Proper Planning and proper methodologies Fast Prototyping
6. Agritecture: Birds-eye view of the industry System integration Biosystem interactions Waste utilization Innovative approach Current Challenge Sharing and transfer of knowledge within the industry
7. Design Challenges Increased Efficiency of Production Reducing the initial resource input & cost Closing the nutrient Loop Developing a true close loop system Automation Drive AI and robotics essential to aid growers
8. Emerging Technologies Nanobubbles Saltwater cooling Photobioreactors Optimization/model based climate controllers Sensor technology (multispectral cameras, transpiration sensors, plant electrophysical sensors) Material with switchable radiometric properties Tubular daylighting devices (TDDs) Novel dehumidification technologies (Liquid desiccants, MOFs) Real-time water analytics Functional-structural plant modelling (digital twins) In-house biological fertilizers
9. Research Topics Optimal Growth and Health Crop responses to external factors, biomass accumulation, and response to disease. Product Quality Taste, appearance, shelf life, metabolite production, nutrition, genetics, and breeding. Resource Efficiency Climate design and control, energy saving, subsystem efficiency, and urban integration. Forecasting and Modelling Functional and structural plant modelling, control algorithms, and response prediction. Optimization of Operations Resource use analysis, labor analysis, and cost analysis for improved performance.
10. Open Discussion • Which are the most critical paths to efficiency for extreme environment farming? • Which research topics from our review are most relevant and promising for this project? • Considering the objectives, what operational profile do you envision as ideal for the facility? • What are the most impactful emerging technologies and trends we should prioritize for integration?