CAFF-I2GROW: INTELLIGENT AND INTEGRATED GREENHOUSE GAS REMOVAL WITH INDOOR AND CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE

<b>Project Methods</b><br> For objective 1, we will develop I2GROW-Oasis and I2GROW-CO2Smart for measuring plant growth under different locations and changing CO2 concentrations. We will develop phenotyping tools for sensing plant health and measuring growth with a low-cost multispectral + 3D sensor. We will measure plant growth and metabolome under different CO2 and nutrients and evaluate CO2 removal and crop growth in buildings. Finally, we will test methods to recycle food waste and to produce liquid nutrient solutions for hydroponic plant growth.For objective 2, we will test and develop supplemental and economic lighting control that utilizes both natural light and LED indoors. We will test and develop an IoT-based CO2 recycle system that senses the release of CO2 from HVAC and recycle CO2 into the greenhouse. Finally, we will test smart sensors for collecting environmental parameters and modeling indoor environment dynamics.For objective 3, we will develop and test approaches to minimize the risk to food safety and plant growth inside building with heavy human activities. We will compare methods for pathogen and pest exclusion using open systems, semi-enclosed, and fully enclosed systems while surveying the public indoor environment and DEA facilities. We will test metagenomics, CRISPR-Lateral flow assay, and biosensors and compare these methods for plant pathogen and human food-borne pathogen detection.For objective 4, we will assess the economic feasibility and environmental and social benefits. We plan to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of our technologies and environmental and social benefits. We will use two complementary approaches–positive mathematical programming and process-based Life Cycle Analysis–to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of our systems.For objective 5, we plan to facilitate a multi-way conversation with farmers, industry members, and other research groups to build an ecosystem that includes education, food production, career planning, and research. To achieve this goal, this aim will involve three main aspects: 1) industry and external research collaboration within the test bed; 2) Extension programming to gain input from small to medium size farmers and share results from testbed; 3) Educational programming in K12 field days and summer programming and use of the test bed in college-level courses.