Plantastic Pods: The Grow Stick Rooting Revolution for Seeds & Cuttings
Cultivating plants from seeds or cuttings is a fundamental aspect of gardening and agriculture. While traditional methods have been practiced for centuries, there is a persistent need for innovative and efficient approaches to enhance plant growth and development. This section explores the challenges associated with traditional propagation methods and examines potential solutions offered by emerging technologies and materials. Plant propagation is necessary to allow efficient multiplication and distribution of desirable plant varieties (Sorensen & Garland, 2024). Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants. There are two primary methods of propagation: sexual and asexual. .Sexual propagation involves the union of pollen and egg, drawing genetic material from two parent plants to create a new, genetically diverse offspring. This process utilizes the floral parts of a plant. .Asexual propagation, on the other hand, involves taking a part of a single parent plant and inducing it to regenerate into a new plant. The resulting offspring is genetically identical to its parent. This method utilises the vegetative parts of a plant, such as stems, roots, or leaves. One emerging technology that has garnered attention in this field is the use of cocopeat, a sustainable growing medium derived from coconut husks (Pane et al. 2021). Cocopeat has been extensively studied as a potential alternative to peat moss in plant propagation (Gericke, 1940). It offers a favourable balance between air porosity and water holding capacity, promoting root development and nutrient uptake (Kalaivani and Jawaharlal, 2019). Furthermore, cocopeat is a renewable and environmentally-friendly resource, making it an attractive option for sustainable seedling cultivation. Research has shown that the use of cocopeat as a growing medium can enhance the growth of both vegetables and various ornamental plants, such as Impatiens. The biostimulant effect of the Trichoderma atroviride fungus, which can readily colonize coir, has been observed to increase aboveground biomass, flower production, pigments, and nutrient concentration in these plants (Traversari et al., 2024).
Autonomous Ecosystem Surveillance Vehicle
As of 2021, there are 368 harmful algae blooms and over 6000 invasive species in the United States of America. Furthermore, it is reported that the United States spends more than 11.1 billion dollars per year on clean-up methods for marine debris. However, there currently isn’t a method to monitor aquatic problems simultaneously, autonomously, and efficiently, creating a capability in the aquatic biosecurity sector. To combat this, we have created an autonomous vehicle that can conduct long-term monitoring of freshwater bodies for up to 60 hours.
Development of MBR, CO2 absorption ball
We invented the Midori which means green Bioreactor (MBR), beads of euglena and other microalgae fixed in calcium alginate that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2). We examined the effect of 19 different solutions and two different organisms on MBR cultivation. Surprisingly, when the MBR was supplied with carbon dioxide or cultured with yeast, they became drastically darker green. Chromatography revealed this green color to be that of microalgae such as green algae or Euglena because chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were detected. Under sunlight, MBR absorbed CO2 and the absorption rate was 1.5 L CO2/day/1L of MBR. Furthermore, when we put MBR in the water tank, they increased the amount of dissolved oxygen without polluting the environment. These results indicate that MBR can absorb CO2 by photosynthesizing without leaking out the inside microalgae.
Development and Comparison of a Small-Scale Toroidal Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine to a Conventional HAWT Design
Wind energy is one of the most promising and rapidly growing sources of renewable energy, although maximizing its efficiency while minimizing noise remains a challenge and limits its widespread adoption. The emergence of toroidal propellers, which have gained popularity for producing comparable thrust levels to traditional drone propellers while producing less noise, could mitigate this. This study aimed to develop a small-scale toroidal HAWT and compare its power and noise output to a conventional rotor design under similar wind velocity conditions. 15-centimeter diameter models of the toroidal and conventional rotors were created in Fusion 360 and simulated using Ansys Fluent to identify the significant aerodynamic characteristics that positively affect the blades’ power coefficient. The toroidal design with the greatest simulated power output at low tip speed ratios (TSRs) was then 3D printed and physically tested in a wind tunnel against the control rotor. The experimental results confirmed that the toroidal design had greater power coefficients at lower TSRs compared to the control rotor. The toroidal rotor started operating at a wind velocity of 3 m/s compared to the control rotor’s 6 m/s, which indicates superior start-up characteristics. While the toroidal rotor produced half the power output of the control at the highest tested wind speed of 7 m/s, it emitted 18 decibels less noise and showed a reduction in discernible noise between frequencies of two to five kilohertz. The results from this study show its potential in low-noise wind turbines within low-wind velocity environments.