South Middlesex Times

Rutgers Health has been awarded a $607,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop "electroponics," an alternative farming method to hydroponics. This approach aims to enable plant growth under limited water conditions or in zero gravity environments, such as space stations.

The research seeks to adapt farming practices to address climate change impacts where water is scarce and aims for precise delivery of agrichemicals that can cause environmental pollution. The knowledge gained from this project could lead to more efficient farming practices and enhance global food security.

Philip Demokritou, Henry Rutgers Chair and Professor of Nanoscience and Environmental Bioengineering at Rutgers Health, emphasized the urgency of increasing food production sustainably amid challenges like reduced arable land and water scarcity due to climate change. "Increasing food security is one of the challenges of the 21st century. We need to increase food production by 100% by 2050, and we need to do so in a more sustainable manner at a time that climate change reduces arable land and makes water scarce," said Demokritou.

He further highlighted the necessity for effective irrigation strategies that minimize water usage while optimizing agrichemical delivery for crop growth. Demokritou is also the director of the division of environmental health biosciences at EOHSI and faculty at Rutgers School of Public Health.

The three-year grant will support innovations at Demokritou’s Nanoscience and Advanced Materials Center and Jonathan Singer’s Hybrid Micro/Nanomanufacturing Lab at Rutgers School of Engineering. The project involves using electrospray technology for precise delivery of electrically charged micron-size particles as well as biopolymer-based nanofibers from food waste as seed coatings, enhancing germination suitable for plants like lettuce.

Jonathan Singer, Associate Professor at Rutgers School of Engineering, noted their plan to scale up these technologies in simulated urban and space environments: “We will scale up and demonstrate these innovative technologies in simulated urban and space environments, bringing precise micronutrient and water delivery to critical scenarios for long-term sustainability and exploration.”

The agricultural sector faces challenges from climate change including water scarcity leading to low yields. Inefficient agrichemical delivery also poses environmental risks. The project's goal is a scalable electroponics system demonstrating enhanced plant growth with minimal resources.

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