Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-00225, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Bougherara, Habiba (Ryerson University), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Industrial partner BrezaWorks (BW) has recently developed an innovative platform for vertical farming called_x000D_
the Airbox. This Airbox is a controlled environment agricultural production platform tailored for the vertical_x000D_
and indoor farming industry. In the AirBox, plants grow in vertical grow towers, in pots and are supplied_x000D_
automatically with water and nutrients via hydroponic methods._x000D_
Lighting for the Airbox is provided by BW proprietary in-house LED lighting, whose spectrum ranges from_x000D_
simple low level photon flux in the visible spectrum through to advanced spectra with UV A&B contributions,_x000D_
tailored to the needs of the individual grower. The design of the AirBox is such that it can accommodate the_x000D_
existing lighting infrastructure of established grow-systems if desired._x000D_
The current Airbox has two major problems: 1) the LED lightning system is currently open to the chamber and_x000D_
therefore unprotected; and 2) the materials used for the grow-pots and grow-towers are not UV stable and_x000D_
therefore degrade over time. The aim of this NSERC-Engage project is to solve these issues, and provide BW_x000D_
with a low cost coating for its LED lightning system, as well as a lightweight material for its grow-towers and_x000D_
grow-pots, ready to use for vertical farming._x000D_
This project will directly train two graduate students on materials selection, manufacturing, characterization,_x000D_
and CAD modeling. These graduate students will benefit from regular visits at BW and direct involvement_x000D_
with their technical staff. With this Engage project we will develop the required coating which would lead to_x000D_
numerous additional commercial applications such as where there is risk of exposure to water or tacky plant_x000D_
based films or new container materials that would support food preservation methods which would lead to_x000D_
significant reductions in spoilage of fresh produce. The potential applications are endless and would lead to_x000D_
significant employment opportunities for BrezaWorks and would significantly benefit Canada given that the_x000D_
bulk of material and all the manufacturing is located in Ontario., program purpose french : Industrial partner BrezaWorks (BW) has recently developed an innovative platform for vertical farming called_x000D_
the Airbox. This Airbox is a controlled environment agricultural production platform tailored for the vertical_x000D_
and indoor farming industry. In the AirBox, plants grow in vertical grow towers, in pots and are supplied_x000D_
automatically with water and nutrients via hydroponic methods._x000D_
Lighting for the Airbox is provided by BW proprietary in-house LED lighting, whose spectrum ranges from_x000D_
simple low level photon flux in the visible spectrum through to advanced spectra with UV A&B contributions,_x000D_
tailored to the needs of the individual grower. The design of the AirBox is such that it can accommodate the_x000D_
existing lighting infrastructure of established grow-systems if desired._x000D_
The current Airbox has two major problems: 1) the LED lightning system is currently open to the chamber and_x000D_
therefore unprotected; and 2) the materials used for the grow-pots and grow-towers are not UV stable and_x000D_
therefore degrade over time. The aim of this NSERC-Engage project is to solve these issues, and provide BW_x000D_
with a low cost coating for its LED lightning system, as well as a lightweight material for its grow-towers and_x000D_
grow-pots, ready to use for vertical farming._x000D_
This project will directly train two graduate students on materials selection, manufacturing, characterization,_x000D_
and CAD modeling. These graduate students will benefit from regular visits at BW and direct involvement_x000D_
with their technical staff. With this Engage project we will develop the required coating which would lead to_x000D_
numerous additional commercial applications such as where there is risk of exposure to water or tacky plant_x000D_
based films or new container materials that would support food preservation methods which would lead to_x000D_
significant reductions in spoilage of fresh produce. The potential applications are endless and would lead to_x000D_
significant employment opportunities for BrezaWorks and would significantly benefit Canada given that the_x000D_
bulk of material and all the manufacturing is located in Ontario., agreement title english : Development of a cost effective UV A&B transmissible coating for the Airbox LED-based lighting system, agreement title french : Development of a cost effective UV A&B transmissible coating for the Airbox LED-based lighting system, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada