Discipline: Nanoscience
Subcategory: Nanoscience
Session: 3
Room: Park Tower 8228
Johnathan Mitchell - Tuskegee University
Co-Author(s): Demetrius Finley, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL; Dr. Richard Whittington, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL; Dr. Michael Curry, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL.
Interests in the use of hydroponics for large scale agricultural operations have increased in the last decade due to its potential positive impacts on the environment and food supply. Furthermore, even though hydroponics requires no use of toxic pesticides, less nutrient materials for plant growth, lower amounts of water due to fixed proportion usage, and no soil, just to name a few, the design of a hydroponic system can be costly and the materials used can negate the initial benefits of hydroponics towards the environment. Previous investigations reported by our group have shown that cellulose can be used as a delivery system for nutrients and in the fabrication of biobased plastics via 3-D printing. Given the abundance of natural resources available for cellulose and its unique chemical and physical properties, it holds great potential for use in the agricultural industry. Hence, this research project reports on the use of cellulosic materials in the development of a biobased, 3-D printable hydroponic system that is cost-effective and uses environmentally friendly materials in its design and delivery of necessary plant nutrients. In short, experimental growth results observed for this under these conditions indicate that our biobased hydroponic system is a viable replacement for conventional Agricultural farming and current conventional hydroponic systems.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): Supported by NSF-CREST 1137681, NSF HBCU-UP Implementation HRD# 1719433
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Curry, Mcurry@tuskegee.edu
Role: This project was designed and created based off research done by me in the previous year. The design of the system as well as the application of the delivery of nutrient was of my own creation. This research was conducted for two years now and has given outstanding results and evidence of the successful use of Cellulose as a nutrient Delivery system.