About This Project

I am working off of the tested and proven concept that electricity can be generated from living plants through the breakdown of organic matter. My project applies this technique to the practice of vertical farming. The objective is to have the plants produce enough organic matter that will be broken down to generate electricity, the electricity powers the pumps that feed water to the plants in a continuous cycle. This would allow farms to consume less electricity and become more self-sufficient.

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What is the context of this research?

One of the newest methods of generating electricity is through plants. In my design, the plants are placed horizontally in PVC pipe and the roots are constantly sprayed with nutrient rich water. Excess organic matter that the plants produce will be excreted through the roots and will flow into a large collection bin with the water. There, microbes will break down the organic matter creating electrons and protons, the electrons will be harvested by an anode and used for power, the electrons then exit the cathode. The electrodes will be separated by a proton exchange membrane (PEM) which allows the protons to filter through it. The protons and electrons recombine to create hydrogen atoms and then react with the oxygen in the air to form water.

What is the significance of this project?

Agriculture accounts for a substantial portion of the negative impacts that we impose on our planet. If we are able to produce electricity from vertically farmed plants, less electricity from environmentally hazardous power plants would be used to power farms, less fertilizer would seep into lakes and rivers causing eutrophication, and we could protect soil from soil erosion. All of this can drastically reduce our impact on the world's eco-systems. In third-world countries with limited amounts of power and nutrient-rich soil, this design would allow farmers to produce many different types of crops at a relatively lower cost with a low environmental impact.

What are the goals of the project?

With the electricity generated, I hope to power an LED light. This wouldn't hold much practical use right away, but instead signifies a proof-of-concept. I first need to construct the vertical farm and have the plants grow to a size that allows them to produce enough organic matter to constantly provide energy. After the plants have grown to this size, I will install the proton exchange membrane and the electrodes and connect everything to an LED light to test for any electricity being generated. If the experiment produces any positive results, I would then like to take it to Google Science Fair 2018 to give it a bigger platform and attention from other researchers.