Controlled Environment Agriculture
Overview
In recent years, the ACSD lab has put a large focus of its research onto the fields of Controlled Environment Agriculture and Circular Food Production. But what is a controlled environment and why should my food be circular?
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has emerged as a vital field within the realm of modern agriculture, offering immense potential to revolutionize food production and address the challenges of feeding a growing global population sustainably. It involves creating optimal growth conditions for plants within closed and highly automated facilities such as greenhouses, vertical farms, or indoor farms, where environmental factors like temperature, light, humidity, and nutrient levels can be monitored and precisely controlled - hence the name.
The importance of CEA lies in its ability to overcome the limitations of traditional farming methods, which are highly dependent on unpredictable weather patterns and susceptible to pest infestations and diseases. By providing a controlled and optimized environment, CEA enables year-round cultivation, reduces water usage significantly, eliminates the need for harmful pesticides, and maximizes crop yields. Moreover, CEA offers the potential for localized and sustainable food production, reducing the reliance on long-distance transportation and minimizing the carbon footprint associated with conventional farming.
In addition to plant cultivation, we employ our control methods to optimize the growth of larvae and fish, aiming for a circular food production system. Within the CUBES Circle project, we explore the concept of using the byproducts of plant cultivation, such as leftovers and organic waste, as a feed for insect larvae. These larvae, in turn, serve as a nutritious feed source for fish. The fish wastewater, rich in nutrients, is then again recycled as a nutrient solution for the plants, closing the "circle". This closed-loop system minimizes waste, maximizes resource efficiency, and creates a symbiotic relationship between different components of the production system.
To achieve optimal growth of larvae and fish within the circular food production system, feedback control systems are employed at each step of the process, which allow to monitor and regulate crucial parameters such as water quality, temperature, oxygen levels, or feeding schedules. By maintaining precise control over these variables, we ensure that the plants, larvae, and fish receive optimal conditions for growth, health, and nutrient absorption. This integration of feedback control in the circular food production system enhances overall productivity, sustainability, and resource utilization.
Unsurprisingly, building such a circular system requires a deep understanding of the biological processes governing the growth of the involved organisms. Successful implementation and optimization of these systems necessitate collaboration between experts in plant science, aquaculture, biology, environmental science, and engineering disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach enables researchers to not only comprehend the complex physiological and ecological interactions within the system but also develop innovative solutions to enhance growth, optimize nutrient cycling, and maintain the overall health and well-being of the organisms involved. By fostering collaboration across disciplines, this research cultivates a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of biological processes, technological advancements, and sustainable practices, paving the way for transformative solutions in the food production of the future.
In our Lab we develop methods in collaboration with experts from biology to tackle several challenges within the described setups. Observer design techniques enable estimation of unmeasured variables and help monitor the growth and health of the organisms. Machine learning algorithms are employed to analyze vast amounts of data collected from the system, identifying hidden patterns and trends that enable predictive models and informed decision-making. Using optimal control, we facilitate the efficient allocation of resources, such as light, water, and nutrients, to maximize overall productivity and minimize waste. Additionally, hierarchical control strategies are implemented to manage the complex interactions and dynamics between various components of the system, ensuring coordinated and efficient operation.
Engaging engineers in the study of CEA provides them with a unique opportunity to contribute to sustainable agriculture. Join us in our Lab to explore innovative approaches to optimize plant growth, develop strategies for efficient nutrient (re-)cycling, and design control systems to enhance the growth and well-being of plants, larvae, and fish. This interdisciplinary research fosters a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of various elements in a circular food production system and equips students with the skills necessary to address the complex challenges of future food production.
Related projects
In the project CUBES Circle (closed urban modular energy- and resource-efficient agricultural systems), three agricultural production systems - aquaculture, insect production and horticultural plant production - are linked together as a closed-loop system. The organisms utilize the residual materials from the respective other production processes. In this way, the residual materials from one production step become valuable materials again in the next. The CUBES production systems are also digitally networked in order to control and optimize the circulation system.
 |
Further information are added soon.
Microalgae are a promising raw material for new and innovative foods. In particular, the unicellular freshwater algae Chlorella zofingiensis is characterized by numerous valuable ingredients such as primary and secondary carotenoids and a broad spectrum of unsaturated fatty acids. The aim of the ENABLE project is to analyze the various trophic process modes in terms of their economic viability. To this end, a process model is being developed and a techno-economic analysis carried out for various production methods. In addition, further investigations will focus on new, gentle treatment and processing technologies using pulsed electric fields for the efficient extraction of fresh algae biomass and a correspondingly high product quality and bioactivity. Finally, demonstration products from C. zofingiensis will be developed and sensory analyzed in the project. This should provide important insights into product perception and for future product developments.
The project aims to develop innovative foods containing insect protein that will have significantly high quality, sustainability, and competitiveness compared to other competing products by improving the production cost. Additionally, these foods should also act as an alternative source of protein. In order to achieve this goal, the project aims to develop and implement the technology basis for the development of such insect foods in a sustainable way. Firstly, the project focuses on processing insect protein as a consumable product. Secondly, the project focuses on reducing the production cost and increasing the sustainability of the production cost by selecting the agricultural side streams to feed insects. Thirdly, a suitable insect-based protein product based on the feed selected must be developed by automating the insect growth process. This project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and is carried out in collaboration with other partners. Our task in this project is to model the rearing process as a function of feed input, to later use the model to make decisions to optimize the process such that high quality of insects (protein-rich) are produced. More details about the project and its collaboration partners can be found on the website.
In the interdisciplinary cooperation project PhotoKon between Chemnitz University of Technology, Leipzig University and the Fraunhofer FEP, biologists and engineers are working on the development of photocatalytic cell factories that convert CO2 into the organic platform chemical glycolate via the photosynthetic apparatus. PhotoKon is developing the scientific basis for the use of ionizing radiation as a new process for the targeted cultivation and optimization of photosynthetically active cells. The screening and isolation of positive mutants is carried out using an AI-based image recognition process. By isolating promising cell factories, both the biological basis for the effect of ionizing radiation on the cells can be investigated and the scaling can be implemented in technical bioprocesses. Through an intelligent control technique for the efficient production of glycolate on a laboratory scale, the PhotoKon technology opens up a possibility for the sustainable and bio-based conversion of CO2 into the basic chemical. The process provides important biological insights and technological developments for the provision of organic compounds that can be produced directly from CO2 for a regional bioeconomy.
The aim of the project is to develop a digital twin for the optimization and automation of cultivation processes for agriculture in controlled environments (greenhouses, vertical farms). The core of the digital twin is a growth model that describes plant growth as a function of the material and energy flows, which are influenced by the energy-intensive climate and light control, among other things. The modeling is intended to deepen the process understanding of the biotechnical greenhouse system so that energy requirements can be reduced. This is to be achieved, for example, by shortening the lighting time with artificial light (LED lighting) through increased CO2 fertilization. In addition, the potential of optimal control algorithms based on model predictions is to be exploited (predictive control). For modeling, data is collected in experiments on GreenResearcher systems from greenhub, the data transfer and the development of a graphical user interface is carried out by mewedo.
 |
The ResKIPP project aims to develop a robust, flexible and cost-effective monitoring system for the production of plants under controlled conditions. For example, the automation of a sensor system, such as automatic sensor calibration and reconfiguration in the event of sensor failures, is intended to reduce the need for specialist personnel in plant production. In addition, linking process models and measured values from different sensors with the help of artificial intelligence and control engineering methods should enable the use of cheaper sensors and thus reduce technology costs. Further information can be found in this press release.
 |
With regard to the further expansion of renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar energy), the demand-oriented provision of electricity by biogas plants makes an important contribution to the flexibility and stability of the future energy supply. The research project on feed management for flexible biogas plants in practical operation is concerned with the further development and large-scale demonstration of available control methods for demand-oriented biogas production in agricultural biogas plants. Interdisciplinary cooperation in the fields of bioprocess engineering, control engineering and business economics will enable a meaningful and reliable application of suitable methods for model-based plant simulation, electricity price forecasting and process control. For the first time, available methods for automated process simulation and control will be implemented, evaluated and optimized in regular practical operation at a large-scale biogas plant.
 |
The storage of fruit, especially long-term storage, is of fundamental importance today for price-stable marketing, but also for supplying consumers in Europe across seasons. Robust prediction methods for apple diseases do not generally exist. Methods of data analysis and machine learning show great potential to classify such complex processes. Based on spectral measurements, weather data and storage measurements, apples are classified according to fruit quality. Further information can be found on this website.
 |
The aim of this project is to develop intelligent systems (sensors and controls) that are required for the resource-efficient production of healthy food in coupled agricultural production systems. The focus is on the development of suitable sensors to enable the control of these complex biotechnological-agricultural production systems. Based on the data, further optimization of production is achieved using mathematical analysis methods.
The research project focuses on the implementation and investigation of a sensor system for detecting nitrate and measuring the nitrate concentration. In addition, a self-sufficient sensor network is to be developed with which it is possible both to supply the nitrate sensors with ambient energy, for example from sunlight or temperature gradients, and to continuously record the sensor data and transmit it wirelessly to a central location for evaluation. The developed sensor concept enables continuous monitoring of nitrate in the soil. Thanks to the self-sufficient energy supply, the sensor system is maintenance-free and efficient. Suitable positioning of the sensors and a suitable density of measuring points make it possible to allocate nitrate input to specific fields or farms. This sensor thus serves both as a control instrument for farmers to assess soil conditions as a basis for determining fertilizer requirements for the respective crop and the necessary nutrient input, and for the responsible environmental authorities to assess the nitrate content in soils for the protection of water bodies and compliance with the rules of fertilization according to good professional practice, e.g. compliance with distances to water bodies or fertilizer lock-up periods. This determination of requirements results in cost savings through optimal fertilization while at the same time protecting the soil. Our professorship is involved in the project by analyzing the measurement dynamics and sensor error tolerance, among other things. Further information can be found on this website.
 |
In Germany, fruit quality losses and rots occurring from harvest to consumption are estimated to be up to 18%. In addition to the direct loss of food for human consumption there are also considerable losses of natural resources and human labour. Other important factors are the environmental costs, the high energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with fruit storage. The project provides starting points for a sustainable, resource and energy efficient apple production chain adapted to the fruit growing region and season. The objectives of the project include the development of an apple production chain management system from the field to the consumer, energy savings to reduce the quantity and quality losses by means of a customized product and optimized harvesting and fruit storage, improved fruit quality production and quality maintenance for the benefit of consumers and strengthening the competitiveness of the German fruit growing and marketing organizations.
 |