Zoe Margaret Harris

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has some clear advantages over traditional farming, such as: reliable and consistent production capability; efficiency in water and space use; reducing the use and runoff of fertiliser and pesticides; etc. As such CEA can greatly benefit from the CAPE (computer-aided process engineering) approach – cross-fertilization of these two apparently distinct areas may result in new methods and applications to improve CEA and process engineering, with potentially significant contribution to circular economy. In this paper, we discuss several important aspects of CEA drawing from our own experiences in aquaculture and aeroponics, including product development, process design and process operation, and the potential contribution of CAPE. Finally, we postulate a systems platform for CEA, aiming to foster a long-lasting partnership between the two scientific communities.

This model has investigated the potential of using vertical farming (VF) systems to spare land for planting dedicated biomass crops for bioenergy in the UK and Spain (Miscanthus and SRC Willow). Using the DND-C model, spared land has been modelled to understand the potential yields we may see from areas where lettuce crops have previously been cultivated in the field, in both the UK and Spain, for consumption by the UK market. This poster presents the methodological developments of the model, with land use savings of 8536 ha (~0.0005% of current arable land in the UK and Spain) found so far. Further improvements to the model will occur, expanding the scope to absorb more regions, and more food crops to understand the land sparing potential of VF.