There is a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit that includes a framework having a single base and plural walls; an aquaculture tank defined by a first portion of the single base and a first set of the plural walls; a clarifier tank defined by a second portion of the single base and a second set of the plural walls; a bio-reactor tank defined by a third portion of the single base and a third set of the plural walls; a hydroponics tank defined by a fourth portion of the single base and a fourth set of the plural walls; and piping extending through the plural walls between each two adjacent tanks for allowing water from the aquaculture tank to flow into the clarifier tank and then into the bio-reactor tank and then into the hydroponics tank and back to the aquaculture tank.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to International Application No. PCT/IB2018/050024, filed on Jan. 3, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to aquaponics systems, and more specifically, to a self-contained aquaponics unit that is ready to be used out of the packaging material.

Discussion of the Background

The term aquaponics means the combination of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (the soil-less growing of plants). Thus, an aquaponics unit is a system that grows fish and plants together. The fish waste provides an organic food source for the plants, and the plants naturally filter the water for the fish.

Aquaponics relies on the recycling of nutrient-rich water from one part of the system to another part. In aquaponics there is no toxic run-off from either hydroponics or aquaculture. The aquaponics systems use less water than soil-based gardening, and even less water than hydroponics or recirculating aquaculture. The aquaponics systems can be placed wherever they are required, inside or outside.

One advantage of the aquaponics system is that instead of using chemicals to grow plants, aquaponics uses highly nutritious fish effluent that contains most of the required nutrients for optimum plant growth. Further, instead of discharging the water from the aquaculture system, aquaponics uses the plants and the media in which they grow in to clean and purify the water, after which it is returned to the aquaculture tank. Often times, this water can be reused indefinitely and will only need to be topped-off when it is lost through transpiration from the plants and evaporation.

However, a problem with the existing aquaponics systems is that each component of the system is a separate, stand-alone piece, as illustrated inFIG.1.FIG.1shows an aquaponics system in its simplest form100that includes an aquaculture system110, a hydroponics component120, and a pump130. Various piping parts140connect these elements together. The pump130is also connected to a power source and ensures that water from the aquaculture tank flows to the plant tray and water from the plant tray flows to the aquaculture tank. Because all these components are stand-alone, the buyer of the system needs to put them together and connect all the existing piping to the various components. This process requires effort and time as each component must be installed and connected properly at the site. Improper plumbing and setup as a result of novice assembly can also lead to system inefficiencies and improper flow patterns. In addition, the current systems are not easy to scale-up or connect to other units. Note also that the components are typically not insulated, allowing for significant heat gain/loss and the potential to stress/kill both fish and plants in harsh climates.

Some similar agriculture systems currently on the market are now discussed. The “farm from a box” system (see “http://www.farmfromabox.com/”) is large, non-movable, and relies more on soil-based agriculture. It also has a high price point (about $25,000), which is cost prohibitive for many audiences.

Cityblooms (see “http://cityblooms.com/”) is a small scale, modular hydroponics system with built-in environmental control. Although small scale, this system is large enough to prevent adoption by the grow-at home, educational, and small modular market. The hydroponics tank and water storage still need to be assembled and connected to each other. In other words, the plant production system is still separate from the other components. Further, this system is for hydroponics, not aquaponics (i.e., it does not include fish production.)

Nelson and Pade F-5 System (see “https://aquaponics.com/aquaponic-systems/f-5-fantastically-fun-fresh-food-factory/”) is a small scale aquaponics production unit. The F-5 system must be assembled onsite, requiring plumbing skill, time, and manual labor. Further, the F-5 is not designed to be modular in nature, i.e., it is not designed for easy connection and scale up. The F-5 provides no insulation for system components, leading to a large amount of heat transfer to the surrounding environment and potential temperature swings that can be lethal to fish, microorganisms, and/or plants.

The above discussed systems have shortcomings and thus, there is a need for an aquaponics unit that overcome them.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, there is a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit. The unit includes a framework having a single base and plural walls, an aquaculture tank defined by a first portion of the single base and a first set of the plural walls, a clarifier tank defined by a second portion of the single base and a second set of the plural walls, a bio-reactor tank defined by a third portion of the single base and a third set of the plural walls, a hydroponics tank defined by a fourth portion of the single base and a fourth set of the plural walls, and piping extending through the plural walls between each two adjacent tanks for allowing water from the aquaculture tank to flow into the clarifier tank and then into the bio-reactor tank and then into the hydroponics tank and back to the aquaculture tank.

According to another embodiment, there is a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit that includes a framework having a single base and plural walls, an aquaculture tank and a hydroponics tank defined by the single base and the plural walls, piping formed in the plural walls between the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics tank, and an air pump that compresses air and pushes water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank through the piping. The framework is insulated, and the unit requires no assembly for being used.

According to still another embodiment, there is a method of manufacturing a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play (MIAP) aquaponics unit, the method including providing a block of foam, manufacturing a framework from the block of foam, the framework having a single base and plural walls, constructing an aquaculture tank in the framework, constructing a hydroponics tank in the framework so that both the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics tank share the single base and the plural walls, inserting piping in the plural walls, between the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics tank, and attaching an air pump to the framework, the air pump compressing air and pushing water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank through the piping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to a single, unitary, aquaponics system. However, the embodiments discussed herein are not limited to such system.

According to an embodiment, a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug and play (MIAP) aquaponics unit that can be used in stand-alone or modular fashion is introduced. The MIAP unit is designed to provide both individual and full scale production for commercial or semi-commercial, domestic and educational purposes or for hobbyists and organic food enthusiasts. Production output includes vegetables, flowers, and/or berries and fish. The MIAP system is constructed using a foam framework (e.g., expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam), for low-cost, low-weight, and high insulation. Other materials may also be used for this framework.

In one embodiment, as illustrated inFIG.2, a MIAP unit200includes a foam framework (e.g., made of EPS)210that includes a aquaculture tank220, a clarifier tank230, a bio-reactor tank240, and a hydroponics tank250. All these elements220,230240, and250are formed in the framework210in such a way that no element can be detached from the other elements (i.e., an unitary unit). In other words, contrary to the existing systems, the present MIAP unit200has all the components unitary formed within the framework210. In one application, the framework210is a single block in which the various tanks are machined. In another application, the framework210is formed by plural walls212that are attached to a single base214to form the tanks noted above, as illustrated inFIG.3. The walls212may be glued or attached by any known mean to the single base214. An air pump260may be placed within the framework as discussed in the next paragraph. Note that the framework is built to be a single piece and thus, when sold, there is no need to arrange the various components in a certain order or to connect the components to each other with some piping. All the necessary piping is built in into the frame as discussed later. Thus, this integral unit is ready to be used as soon as the unit is placed at a desired location, filled with water and connected to an electrical outlet (for the air pump).

Returning toFIG.2, an air pump260is installed in the framework210. In one application, as illustrated inFIG.3, air pump260is placed in a chamber263formed in the walls of the unit. A lid265may be used to hide the pump from view. In another application, the air pump may be attached to a wall212, e.g., inside of a tank or on an outside of the wall.

A top view of the MIAP unit200is shown inFIG.4. In this embodiment, it can be seen that the aquaculture tank220, clarifier tank230and bio-reactor tank240occupy a first region210A of the framework210and the hydroponics tank250occupies a second region210B of the framework210. In one embodiment, the first region210A is smaller than the second region210B. In another embodiment, the first region is three times smaller than the second region. In still another embodiment, a width of the first region is the same as a width of the second region, but a length of the first region is about three times smaller than a length of the second region. In one embodiment, a length of the first region is about 90 cm, a width of the first region is about 100 cm, a length of the second region is about 3 m, and a width of the second region is about 100 cm. In this embodiment, the aquaculture tank may be 90×60 cm, the clarifier tank may be 35×60 cm and the bio-reactor may be 35×30 cm. One skilled in the art would understand that all these dimensions are exemplary and other dimensions (smaller or larger) may be used.

The aquaculture tank220in the MIAP unit200serves to culture the fish. The aquaculture tank may be 90 cm deep with 10 cm freeboard (water depth=80 cm) to hold a total of about 440 L (0.44 m3) water volume for fish culture. The aquaculture tank may have a bottom side drain222, included in the wall212, to drain the aquaculture tank when/if needed.

The clarifier tank230in the MIAP unit200is used to filter large solid particles (uneaten fish feed and fish excreta) from the water. This tank may be 0.6 m long×0.35 m wide×0.90 m deep with a water level of 0.80 m (10 cm freeboard). The total volume of clarifier is about 0.165 m3and it may have a bottom side drain232for removing settled solids from the unit.

The clarifier tank230may have a cartridge filter234that, in one embodiment, may be a biological filter for removing various biological elements. In one application, the cartridge filter234is a low density matala filter media. The cartridge filter234may be located closer to at an outlet side230A of the clarifier tank230, between the clarifier tank230and the bio-reactor tank240. The cartridge filter234may be sized to be 0.3 m long by 0.06 m wide and 0.90 m deep with a water level of 0.75 m. The cartridge filter234may be kept in place inside the clarifier tank230with a pair of rails236(seeFIG.6Bfor more details). Other mechanisms may be used for maintaining the cartridge filter234in place. The cartridge filter can be slide in and out if the pair of rails236is used.

The bio-reactor240in the MIAP unit200is located after the clarifier tank230and the cartridge filter234along a water flowing direction FD. The bio-reactor tank240may be, in one embodiment, 0.35 m long×0.28 m wide×0.9 m deep with a water level of 0.75 m and total design volume of 0.074 m3. The bio-reactor may house 0.048 m3of biofilter media with the remainder of the space allocated for water. In one embodiment, the bio-reactor is a moving bed bio-reactor (MBBR) tank which includes moving units floating in the water. The moving units may be made out of glass or plastic. The sludge from the aquaculture tank grows on the internal surfaces of the moving units and the various bacteria present in the bio-reactor breaks down the organic matter from the waste water, supplying and converting nutrients into a form that is able to be utilized by the plants growing in the hydroponics component. In this way, the excess sludge may be removed, if necessary, through a bottom side drain242built into the framework210.

The hydroponics tank250may be implemented as a hydroponic channel252, as shown inFIG.4. The hydroponic channel252is obtained, in one embodiment, by dividing the hydroponics tank250with a dividing wall254. In this embodiment, the hydroponic channel252may be 2.8 m long×1 m wide×0.35 m deep with the dividing wall254opened at one end256to accelerate the water flow FD. The hydroponic channel252has, in this embodiment, a total of 2.8 m2plant growing surface area for growing crops. Note the much smaller depth of the hydroponics tank250relative to the depth of the aquaculture tank220(35 cm versus 90 cm). This difference in depth is made on purpose to achieve a volume of water that provides a desirable water retention time in both the plant and fish portions of the design, and to achieve natural water flow from the aquaculture components to the hydroponics tank (i.e., no pump is needed for the water to travel from the aquaculture tank to the hydroponics tank).

The aeration of the MIAP unit200and the various piping components are now discussed with regard toFIGS.5,6A and6B. Each aquaponics unit's tank would function better if oxygen is added to the water to facilitate maximum plant and fish production and to prevent anaerobic conditions. Thus, each MIAP unit200includes an air pump260.FIG.3shows a possible location of the air pump260, i.e., inside chamber263. Because the air pump260is not directly visible inFIG.4, the contour of the air pump is indicated with a dash line. In one embodiment, a capacity of the air pump260is calculated to deliver 1.8 cubic feet air per minute (cfm) at 1.5 psi (35″ water depth).

FIG.5shows the air pump260having an air input262and an air output264. The air intake at the air input262is pushed out at the output264with higher pressure. A tube (e.g., vinyl tube)266connects the air output264to an air stone268, from which air bubbles272combine with the water274and move upward a tubing270. In this way, if the tank shown inFIG.5is connected to the hydroponics tank250, the water may be raised from the hydroponics tank and pushed to the aquaculture tank220.

FIGS.6A and6Bshow the piping components built into the framework210, between the various tanks. More specifically,FIG.6Ashows the four tanks220to250. Air pump260is partially illustrated inFIG.6A, as the air pump is located inside chamber263(seeFIG.3). Tubing266is shown inFIG.6A(also shown inFIG.5) and brings the compressed air from the air pump260to air stone268, which is located next to or inside a plant-to-fish tanks conduit270. Plant-to-fish tanks conduit270is shown inFIG.6Ahaving an input270A located at the bottom of the hydroponics tank250and an output270B located at a top portion of the aquaculture tank220. The plant-to-fish tanks conduit270may be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping, metal piping, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or effectively may be a tunnel in the wall212of the framework210. The output270B of the plant-to-fish tanks conduit270is better seen inFIG.6B.FIG.6Aalso shows the air input262of the air pump260. In this embodiment, the air input262is formed as a tunnel through the walls212of the framework210. In another application, the air input262may be a pipe, e.g., PVC pipe. In still another embodiment, the air input262may be located on a side of the walls212, outside the unit, or even inside chamber263.

The air pump260may be connected to plural air stones (9 in one example) through vinyl tubing266. In one embodiment, there will be two 3″ air stones in the aquaculture tank, two 2″ air stones in the bio-reactor, two 2″ (or 3″) air stones in the hydroponics tank and two 2″ (or 3″) air stones for the plant-to-fish tanks conduit270. An air stone may be a porous stone, whose purpose is to gradually diffuse air into the tank. Other configurations of the air stones may be used.

The other connections between the various tanks are now discussed.FIGS.6A and6Bshow a solid lifting outflow (SLO) conduit276located in the aquaculture tank and is configured to bring water274from the bottom of the aquaculture tank220to a top of the clarifier tank230as indicated by path274A. The conduit276may be made of PVC or equivalent materials or metal. The clarifier tank230feeds the water to the bio-reactor tank240through the cartridge filter234, as indicated by arrow274B. For the next step of the water flow, a clarifier-to-reactor tanks conduit278(e.g., PVC pipe) is located in the wall between the clarifier tank230and the bio-reactor240, near the rim of the wall.FIG.6Bshows the input278A of the clarifier-to-reactor tanks conduit278being present in the clarifier tank and the output278B of the conduit278being present in the bio-reactor tank240. In this way, the water will flow along arrow274C between the two tanks.

A reactor-to-plant tanks conduit280is built into the framework210, between the bio-reactor tank and the hydroponics tank, as illustrated inFIGS.6A and6B. The reactor-to-plant tanks conduit280has an input280A in the bio-reactor tank240as shown inFIG.6B, and an output280B in the plant-tank250, as illustrated inFIG.6A. Thus, the water flows along arrow274D, to the hydroponic channels, from the bio-reactor240. The conduit280may be made from any material used for the other conduits or it simply may be formed as a tunnel into the wall of the framework.

The tanks and conduits discussed above may be formed in the framework210. As discussed above with regard toFIG.3, the framework has a single base214and plural walls212. In one embodiment, the aquaculture tank220may be formed on a first portion214A (seeFIG.4) of the single base214and a first set212A of the plural walls212, the clarifier tank230may be formed on a second portion214B of the single base214and a second set212B of the plural walls212, the bio-reactor tank240may be formed on a third portion214C of the single base214and a third set212C of the plural walls212, the hydroponics tank250may be formed on a fourth portion214D of the single base214and a fourth set212D of the plural walls212and the piping270,276,278,280may be formed to extend through the plural walls212, between each two adjacent tanks for allowing water from the aquaculture tank to flow into the clarifier tank and then into the bio-reactor tank and then into the hydroponics tank and back to the aquaculture tank.

If operated in a stand-alone mode, each MIAP unit200will return the water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank via the conduit270, which is also called an air lift pump. The air lift pump270is powered by the air pumped by the air pump260utilizing PVC piping. If operated in a series mode, the water from the MIAP unit200will continue to naturally flow from the hydroponic channels of current unit to the aquaculture tank of the next unit.FIG.7Ashows a single MIAP unit200having a single air pump and the unit being operated as a standalone unit andFIG.7Bshows8single MIAP units200connected in series and having a single air pump260. The “leaves” in these figures indicate a hydroponics tank, and a “fish” indicates a aquaculture tank. To connect two units to each other, the hydroponics tank250may have, as illustrated inFIG.8A, a first port810and the aquaculture tank may have a second port820. To connect in series two units, the first port810from the first unit is fluidly connected to the second port820of the second unit. This connection may be achieved with a portion of hose that mechanically connects to the two ports. Otherwise, the ports are sealed with a corresponding cap.

The various conduits discussed above are also illustrated in more detail inFIGS.8A to9D.FIG.8Ashows the various tanks and conduits from a bird's perspective whileFIG.8Bshows the same with some exemplary dimensions.FIG.8Balso shows an air distribution manifold290, which may be placed in another chamber291(seeFIG.9D) or in the same chamber as the air pump260. The air pumped by the air pump260is provided along tube292to the air manifold, and from here, the air may be distributed to the air stone268and also to other air stones, e.g., air stone221in the aquaculture tank220, air stone231in the clarifier tank230, air stone241in the bio-reactor240, and air stone251in the hydroponics tank250. As previously discussed, more than one air stone per tank may be used. For simplicity,FIG.8Bdoes not show all the pipe connections between the air manifold290and the air stones noted above.

AlthoughFIGS.8A and8Bshow specific sizes for the various components of the MIAP unit200, the present invention is not limited to the dimensions noted in these figures.

FIGS.9A to9Dshow the location of the conduits and associated exemplary sizes from a side view.FIG.9Dshows the location of the air manifold290relative to the air pump260and the locations of only two air stones268and251. In one embodiment, the air input262of the air pump260is located at the top of the unit200, as illustrated inFIG.8BandFIG.9D. Air manifold290may be made of plastic, brass, copper, aluminum or any other material that is suitable for wet conditions.

When operational, a MIAP unit200has water flowing from the bottom of the aquaculture tank through the SLO to the clarifier tank. The clarifier tank will feed the bio-reactor tank through the cartridge filter. The bio-reactor tank will feed the hydroponics tank. The hydroponic channels in the hydroponics tank are equipped with a drain pipe to pass the water back/to the aquaculture tank(s) with the help of the air lift pump.

In one embodiment, the recommended maximum total fish weight for each MIAP unit having the sizes noted inFIGS.8A to9Dis 14 kg (corresponding o 32 kg fish/m3of water) when fed at 1.6% of body weight/day to achieve feed (g) to surface area (m2) ratio of 80 g/m2. The fish feed rate may be controlled through the incorporation of an automatic fish feeder1000at each aquaculture tank, as illustrated inFIG.10.

In another embodiment, the selected Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) for the aquaculture tank is 60 minutes at a water flow rate of 7.3 L/min, whereas the recommended HRT for the clarifier tank is about 20 minutes. The HRT is controlled by regulating the flow of air to the air lift pump. The air flow rate is set 1× manually and is left constant over the life of the system.

A total of 0.224 kg of fish feed will generate about 8.4 g total ammonia nitrogen daily, which will require a biofilter surface area of 16.8 m2. The MIAP unit200will require 0.224 kg of oxygen addition daily for a target dissolved oxygen (DO) level in the water of 6 mg/L. The flow rate of oxygen into the system is regulated automatically by a properly-sized air pump, which is factory-installed and preset for each individual unit.

Optionally, the MIAP unit200may include a solar thermal solar PV collection device1002, that may be installed on an exterior wall of the framework as illustrated inFIG.10. If enough solar devices1002are installed, the air pump may be operated independent of an external power supply. For cold climates, a heating system1004may be installed for heating the water. In one application, the heating system may be installed in a third chamber1006and various heating elements (e.g., resistors) may be installed in one or more of the tanks. In still another embodiment, for a hot climate, a cooling system1008(e.g., air conditioning unit) may be installed in the third chamber1006. Each of the heating system and the cooling system may be provided with energy from an external power source. In yet another embodiment, an agriculture-grade lighting system1010may be installed next to the hydroponics tank, for growing the plants indoors or reducing the time to harvest.

Various materials may be used for the components of the MIAP unit. Some of the materials have already been discussed. In this paragraph, the materials to be used are summarized as follow. For the core it is possible to use molded and/or cut EPS foam block coated with polyurethane for water-tightness. For the piping/conduits, it is possible to use PVC. For the air tubes that connect the air pump to the air manifold and the air manifold to the various air stones it is possible to use vinyl. For the air stones, it is possible to use plastic and/or ceramic. For the air pump, it is possible to use plastic. For the cartridge filter it is possible to use matala mats. For the bio-reactor it is possible to use plastic and/or ceramic media.

A method of manufacturing a modular, insulated, all-in-one, plug-and-play aquaponics unit200is now discussed with regard toFIG.11. The method includes a step1100of providing a block of foam, a step1102of manufacturing a framework from the block of foam, the framework having a single base and plural walls, a step1104of constructing a aquaculture tank in the framework, a step1106of constructing a hydroponics tank in the framework so that both the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics tank share the single base and the plural walls, a step1108of inserting piping in the plural walls, between the aquaculture tank and the hydroponics tank, and a step1110of attaching an air pump to the framework, the air pump compressing air and pushing water from the hydroponics tank to the aquaculture tank through the piping.

Another method for manufacturing the MIAP unit is now discussed.FIG.12Ashows a first part (about a half) of the MIAP unit being made from a single block of foam. The first part includes half of the aquaponics tank, the clarifier tank and the bio-reactor tank. A second part of the MIAP unit is built from another foam block, as illustrated inFIG.12B. Holes are then made in the various walls of the unit for accommodating the conduits discussed above, as illustrated inFIG.12C. The conduits and other piping are added to the MIAP unit as illustrated inFIG.12Dand a sealant is used to seal the spaces between the piping and the walls of the unit. Next, a polyurea coating may be sprayed on the interior walls and bottom of the MIAP unit as illustrated inFIG.12E. After this operation, the first and second parts are attached to each other, for example, using a glue and/or sealant material as illustrated inFIG.12F. The final MIAP unit, after being glued together, is illustrated inFIG.12G. Testing is then performed to ensure that there is no water leaking from the unit.

The MIAP unit discussed herein has at least one of the following characteristics: it is an all-in-one aquaponics system with built-in internal rather than assembly-required external plumbing connections, multiple MIAP aquaponics units can be easily connected in series for truly modular scale-up in production, and because the core material of construction is foam, the MIAP units have built-in insulation for higher production and energy conservation.