Grants and Contributions:

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Title:
Development of a cost effective UV A&B transmissible coating for the Airbox LED-based lighting system
Agreement Number:
EGP
Agreement Value:
$25,000.00
Agreement Date:
Mar 7, 2018 -
Organization:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Location:
Ontario, CA
Reference Number:
GC-2017-Q4-00225
Agreement Type:
Grant
Report Type:
Grants and Contributions
Additional Information:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Recipient's Legal Name:
Bougherara, Habiba (Ryerson University)
Program:
Engage Grants for universities
Program Purpose:

Industrial partner BrezaWorks (BW) has recently developed an innovative platform for vertical farming calledx000D
the Airbox. This Airbox is a controlled environment agricultural production platform tailored for the verticalx000D
and indoor farming industry. In the AirBox, plants grow in vertical grow towers, in pots and are suppliedx000D
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 fromx000D
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 thex000D
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 andx000D
therefore unprotected; and 2) the materials used for the grow-pots and grow-towers are not UV stable andx000D
therefore degrade over time. The aim of this NSERC-Engage project is to solve these issues, and provide BWx000D
with a low cost coating for its LED lightning system, as well as a lightweight material for its grow-towers andx000D
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 involvementx000D
with their technical staff. With this Engage project we will develop the required coating which would lead tox000D
numerous additional commercial applications such as where there is risk of exposure to water or tacky plantx000D
based films or new container materials that would support food preservation methods which would lead tox000D
significant reductions in spoilage of fresh produce. The potential applications are endless and would lead tox000D
significant employment opportunities for BrezaWorks and would significantly benefit Canada given that thex000D
bulk of material and all the manufacturing is located in Ontario.