Agriculture with controlled environment combines energy-efficient, transparent solar panels; cooling with low energy desiccant; salt-tolerant edible plants; and algal biotechnology. Credit: © 2020 KAUST; Ivan Gromicho
Effective glass garden complexes that will grow with the resources available on desert shores can improve food security for millions.
Emerging technologies can be used to harness the strength of hot, humid coastal deserts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to grow food and other crops.
KAUST researchers demand a new generation of large glass garden complexes, supported by new solar panels, air-conditioning technology, and advances in salt-tolerant agriculture. Their concept could start a sustainable agricultural revolution in coastal desert regions around the world.
“CEA (Controlled Environment) uses integrated systems to facilitate sustainable, large-scale local crop growth,” says Kyle Lauersen, synthetic biologist. “Our vision combines various technologies currently being developed in KAUST: energy-efficient, transparent solar panels; cooling with low energy desiccant; salt-tolerant edible plants; and algal biotechnology. ”
Coastal locations in the MENA region have ample access to seawater and intense sun all year round. CEA makes it possible to use seawater to grow salt-tolerant crops, such as newly identified varieties of tomatoes and green vegetables. Mixed irrigation means that CEA would have a lower impact on municipal supplies. To source extra fresh water, the researchers plan to remove from moist air.
“We are excited about developments in refrigeration technologies that use liquid desincants,” says research scientist 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 salty liquid solution to absorb the moisture. ”
The air released by the system is drier and cooler and can circulate in the glass gardens while the trapped fresh water is restored. The build-up of excessive heat in greenhouses is a major concern in the MENA region. One solution comes from KAUST startup iyris: which uses semi-transparent solar panels as windows. Such panels allow visible light to pass through for plant growth, while infrared energy (heat) is converted into electricity.
The researchers also hope to combine plants and algae to generate not only food but also biomass feed oxen for aquaculture, animal feed, chemical industry products and bioplastics. Algae can be grown in photobioreactors within CEA, and this co-cultivation would increase the value output of the system.
“We see incredible potential for regionally inspired blends of salt-tolerant and freshwater species in various facilities, depending on market demand,” says Lauersen. ‘It is becoming increasingly important to produce food and products closer to the communities that need it. CEA will also provide food security, jobs and an economic base for year-round exports. ”
“This is where multidisciplinary research comes into its own,” says plant scientist Mark Tester. “A pilot CEA glasshouse is under construction at KAUST as part of our spin-off company Red Sea Farms, and we will be collaborating with colleagues across the university and beyond to demonstrate the exciting potential for CEA.”
Reference: “Emerging Technologies to Enable Sustainable Environmentally Controlled Environment in the Extreme Environments of Coastal Regions of Middle East North Africa” by Ryan M. Lefers, Mark Tester and Kyle J. Lauersen, July 2, 2020, Frontiers in Plant Science.
DOI: 10.3389 / fpls.2020.00801
