Biodomo Project: An automated aeroponic hermetically contained system to grow crops under harsh environmental conditions
- Paper number
IAC-22,E2,3-GTS.4,2,x70333
- Author
Ms. Tania Ramírez González, Costa Rica, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)
- Coauthor
Mr. Facundo Daniel Mendoza Solano, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR)
- Coauthor
Ms. Darling Mora, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR)
- Coauthor
Ms. María Francini Mora Chacón, Costa Rica, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)
- Coauthor
Mr. Sebastián Solano, Costa Rica, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)
- Coauthor
Mr. Carlos Andre, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR)
- Coauthor
Mr. Steven Cornejo, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR)
- Coauthor
Ms. Amanda Castro Vargas, Costa Rica, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)
- Coauthor
Mr. David Josué Bolaños Jiménez, Costa Rica, Universidad de Costa Rica
- Coauthor
Mrs. Rosmery Giselle Valle Rodríguez, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR)
- Coauthor
Mr. Sebastián Vargas, Costa Rica, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)
- Year
2022
- Abstract
Food sources have always been one of the main limitations for survival in environments with extreme conditions, and space exploration is no exception. From this need arises the Biodomo Project, attached to TECSpace, a student-run space research community at TEC. This project was conceived by students from the biotechnology, agricultural, mechatronics and electronics engineering careers of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, allowing the creation of a multidisciplinary and socially diverse environment that enables more people to dive into aerospace research. The objective of the project is to create a farming system completely isolated from the external environment, which can meet the caloric and nutritional needs of the human being, using the least number of resources possible and that requires the minimum human intervention for its operation. To achieve this, an aeroponic system will be implemented, so that the integration of a water pump allows the constant reuse of the nutrient solution for the plants and thus reduce economic expenses without putting the productivity of the crop at risk. In addition, the configuration in towers that are independent from each other allows to cultivate multiple types of crops in a space-efficient way. Furthermore, the plants come from an in vitro culture where strong symbiotic interactions between mycorrhizae and roots are encouraged, which allows the plants' resistance to possible pathogenic attacks to be increased. In addition, an array of sensors will be implemented to monitor in real time all the relevant parameters for plant growth, such as the temperature, pH levels and electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution, as well as the temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels of the air inside the hermetic system. Based on feedback from the sensors, necessary adjustments will be made to the system automatically to obtain ideal conditions for crop growth without the need of frequent human intervention, which prevents contamination and ensures consumer food safety. These adjustments include changing illumination levels, replenishing the solution’s nutrients, and regulating temperature and humidity levels, among others. On a separate note, the planet is currently experiencing a food crisis where climate change has put the food security of the population at risk, as soil fertility has been greatly reduced and climatic conditions have been altered. With this project, we can create a key solution to ensure food security, offering the possibility of growing a large amount of food in small spaces, with external environmental conditions being irrelevant.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-22,E2,3-GTS.4,2,x70333.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.