Harvesting AirWater for Agriculture

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Droughts it's a extreme event that lead to financial loss each year as a result of global warming, mainly affecting the agricultural sector, causing shortages in production and thus food shortages.

 

It has been demonstrated that water harvesting from the air can supply small rural communities in arid and semi-arid regions. Water droplets are agglomerated in mesh screens and flow by gravity into a storage facility. The technology is simple and can be maintained and managed by the users.

 

Orgon Air Water wants to provide this alternative water source for farmers. 

 

The Orgon-AirWater project comprises two phases:

 

Phase I:

• Design, Construction, Operation of the water supply system, monitoring and evaluation.
• The creation of a decentralized database platform for monitoring environmental parameters (relative humidity, temperature, lighting, CO2, wind) and water productivity per catchment system (level of water captured per day).

 

Phase II: Implementation of Cardano's blockchain technology with

• Development of a dApp for the construction of an efficient irrigation plan and irrigation scheduling in the crop.
• Creation of a fungible token.

 

Our proposal for this Fund9, focuses on phase I. 

Primary objective: determine the volume of air water capted/day and to verify the accomplished demand in a sustainable manner by obtaining the volume of water collected to relate the relative humidity on the site, and thus calculate the number of air water harvesting systems per hectare of land needed to supply the crop demand.

 

Phase I. Design, Construction and Operation of the Water Supply System 

The prototype will be built in an avocado crop in the state of Michoacán in Mexico, which has shown a decrease in avocado production due to increasingly longer periods of drought, causing economic losses for the farmer and directly affecting the consumer by increasing the price in the market.

 

The system is divided into 3 stages:

• water production system,
• water reservoir and
• Implementation of equipment to measure environmental parameters and water level.

 

1.-Water production system

 

It is a vertical structure of 10 meters high, which will be built with natural materials such as reed (plant) or bamboo, this structure consists of 5 modules that are installed from the bottom up and can be assembled by 4 people without the need for scaffolding. Inside, raschel mesh (made from recyclable materials) will be placed which traps the humidity suspended in the air and causes it to condense, the water droplets slide over the surface of the mesh to the storage tank. The structure will be fixed to the ground with tension cables to withstand strong winds.

 

The raschel mesh placed on the bamboo structure will occupy an area of 330 square metres, expecting a minimum of 3 litres of water per square metre per day and a maximum of 35 litres per square metre per day, so a minimum of 990 litres of water per day is expected to be collected from the prototype. This data variation is closely related to the environmental factors that will be obtained at the site.

 

2.-Water reservoir

 

The storage vessel will be below ground to protect the water from sunlight and kept in the dark, away from all sources of heat, light and atmospheric influences. The material of the storage container shall be terracotta, as it has a suitable porosity to allow the water to breathe, which it, like all other living things, must do to remain alive and healthy. The storage container will have a capacity of 4 cubic metres.

 

The connection for the water supply will be made with a cyclic hydraulic pump, which uses the kinetic energy of a water hammer on a fluid to extract the water contained in the reservoir to the crop, and therefore does not require external energy input.

 

3.-Development of prototypes for measuring environmental parameters and water level.

 

Here we propose the development of two measurement prototypes, one for environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, lighting, CO2 and wind speed) and the other for water level. These devices will communicate by radio frequency with a data concentrator which will have access to the internet, the concentrator will send the data to a platform that will store and present the data.

 

• Environmental parameters: The device will contain a series of sensors that will collect information and send it by radio frequency to a data concentrator. 
• Water level measurement: The device for water level measurement will be an ultrasonic sensor, which collects and sends the data by radio frequency to a data concentrator.
• Data concentrator: The data concentrator is the device in charge of receiving, storing and sending the data from the sensors. This device must have access to the Internet in order to be able to send the data to an online platform. The features of the device are: storage of up to 32 GB of data, Ethernet port and Wifi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
• Communication: All devices will communicate with each other by means of a radio frequency transmitter/emitter, it is proposed to use one of the following options: RF69, RF69 CW, RF95 or RF96. All four chips are designed to transmit over long distances with small power consumption.
• Power supply: The environmental parameter and water level device will have a battery and a solar panel that charges the battery. The data concentrator must be connected to a power supply.

 

The data obtained will be recorded in a Web platform where values of the individual parameters can be consulted in daily, monthly and annual periods.

 

Phase I. Monitoring and Evaluation

 

Reports will be made with the values and data obtained to measure the efficiency of water collection and the following calculation will be made.

 

• Overall Collection Efficiency

 

The efficiency of air water collection has been attributed to three factors (Ghosh et al., 2015), namely water content in the air, wind and mesh interaction and the drainage of air water from the mesh to the trough. The overall collection efficiency (ηcoll) can be expressed as:

 

ηcoll = ηae × ηcap × ηdr 

 

where ηae, ηcap and ηdr are the aerodynamic, capture and drainage efficiency, respectively.

Aerodynamic efficiency (ηae) denotes the water droplet fraction in the air that may collide with the mesh. The fraction of actual fog droplet that impinges on the mesh fibers and gets deposited is represented by the capture efficiency (ηcap).The drainage efficiency (ηdr) represents the fraction of the air water that travels to the gutter after colliding with the mesh.

 

Drainage Efficiency (ηdr), the air water drain from the mesh depends on the size of the droplet, droplet surface tension and the diameter of the mesh bottom.

 

Depending on the data obtained, the number of air water collection systems per hectare of land required to meet the crop demand will be calculated.

 

Reference literature: Ghosh, R., Ray, T.K. and Ganguly, R. (2015). Cooling tower fog harvesting in power plants - A pilot study. Energy 89: 1018-1028.

 

Cardano onboarding

Orgon-AirWater aims to merge a physical world project of social and environmental impact with the Cardano blockchain through sound scientific and analytical methodologies to evaluate and present water productivity and irrigation scheduling data with efficient plans for the farmer and offer the opportunity to help the community and the environment in a sustainable way by generating extended benefits through the monetization of a native Cardano token comprising phase II of this project.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

Cardashift aims to empower all human beings to build a sustainable world through the Cardano protocols. Its objective is to represent "real world states of results that people care about", that is why Orgon Air Water matches the objective of this challenge, because our goal is to solve the problem of water scarcity, a problem that is occurring globally and that concerns people, creating a native token linked to physical agriculture with sustainable social and environmental impact, managing the use of water in agriculture, developing new solutions for measurement, analysis and/or traceability, for greater food production.

 

This project will create real-world impact results, addressing solutions for:

• Droughts in agriculture
• Water scarcity for human consumption
• Declining food production.
• Desertification and deforestation
• Climate change CO2

Because without water there is no life. This project offers the opportunity to help the agricultural sector, the community and the environment in a sustainable way.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Type of risk: Cost

• The geographical location of the system has a direct influence on the total cost of the investment, due to the cost of transporting materials from the nearest locality to the cultivation field, which can vary depending on the distance to be covered, so to solve this point, the aim is to use natural and easily available materials from the localities closest to the location of the cultivation field, thus reducing costs.
• This is a project in development in which we merge a physical world project of social and environmental impact with the cardano blockchain. The risk that could impede the development of this project is the volatility of the market in the exchange of goods and services from ada to dollars. 

Type of risk: maintenance and operation

• Maintenance of the system requires monitoring, regular tightening of support cables and mesh, immediate repairs of any minor tears, and care of sensors measuring environmental parameters.
• One of the risks is to make the user aware of the benefits that the air harvesting system can provide and to train the user to keep the system in operation.

Type of risk: visual

• The installation of the air water harvesting system can be visually unattractive, so the design was inspired by the elements and colors of nature to make it more visually pleasing.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

1st Month. Design and Construction of the Water Supply System 

• Excavation in the ground for the construction of the reservoir made from terracotta (2m x 2m x1m)
• building the bamboo structure
• Installation of the raschel mesh
• Hydraulic installation
• Ram pump installation

2dn Month. Development of measurement prototypes and Operation of the Water Supply System 

• Development of prototypes for the measurement of environmental parameters and water level measurement.
• Development of the data concentrator, with internet access.

3rd Month.Operation of the Water Supply System 

• Development of device communication software and web platform.
• 2 week trial period.

4th Month. Evaluation and Monitoring

• Preparation of the water productivity report with the data obtained from the measuring devices of environmental parameters and volume of water per day.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Design and Construction of the Water Supply System: $5000

• Bamboo for 1.5" to 2" diameter structure. $500
• Installation of the structure, 320 hours. $1000
• Mesh raschel and installation 330 square metres. $900
• Material and labour for the hydraulic installation. $400
• Ram pump. $500
• Excavation and terracotta covering of the water storage area. $1700

Development of prototypes for measuring environmental parameters and water level. $5000

• Device for monitoring five environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, illumination, CO2 concentration and wind speed). $1750
• Water level monitoring device: $1500
• Data concentrator to receive information from prototype environmental parameters and water level and web platform. $1750

Operation, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Water Supply System. $1000

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Denise Campoy Mireles:

Biologist, with 8 years of experience in environmental consultancy (flora, fauna and water quality monitoring), as well as in the management and use of natural resources, she is currently founder of Orgonic Nature, in charge of managing agricultural production with homeopathy for plants while taking care of the impact on the environment and has turned its attention to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, recognising their potential to change lives.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-campoy-mireles-aa2269165/

Angel Renato Zamudio Malagón: 

Graduated in computer science, with more than 10 years of experience as a developer of several programming languages (JAVA, PHP, C, C++, JAVASCRIPT, PYTHON, HASKELL), he is currently co-founder of the company (BOX-S), in charge of designing, developing and coordinating hardware-based solutions, development of monitoring and control devices by microcontrollers based on IoT (Internet of Things).

linkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/angel-renato-zamudio-malagón-6b70a21b8

Saúl Lopez Saucedo : Civil engineer with a focus on water resources management, water supply and drainage, wastewater treatment. He has worked on the technical review of executive projects for wastewater treatment plants, integral sanitation programmes, regulations and the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater management, treatment and discharge. He has experience in the development of programmes to address the challenges faced by operators to increase sanitation coverage nationwide and comply with the applicable regulations on sanitation.

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sa%C3%BAl-l%C3%B3pez-8a103716a

Emilio Ramirez: Graphic designer / Industrial designer focused in POS furnishings / motion graphics designer, With more than 10 years of experience gained in advertising agencies in Paraguay. Illustrator and digital colourist. 3D modeler. Vídeo Editor. Co-founder of Opari Design Studio specialized in Visual Design and Motion Graphic. Computer lover, MOBA video games and curious about the crypto world. Currently studying web development, and UX/UI Design. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilio-ramirez-8092226a

Roberto Herce:

Project Management, 8 years of experience in Digital Marketing, Creation of strategies in paid campaigns in Google Ads, Analysis of the information obtained in Google Analytics. Crafting strategy to go to scale. Web3.0 apprentice, passion for the crypto and blockchain industry.

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Yes, the project is composed by two phases. In this challenge we are aiming to participate with phase one, and give continuation for the second phase.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

No

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

No

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

Reports will be made with the values and data obtained to measure the efficiency of water collection and the following calculation will be made.

 

• Overall Collection Efficiency

 

The efficiency of air water collection has been attributed to three factors (Ghosh et al., 2015), namely water content in the air, wind and mesh interaction and the drainage of air water from the mesh to the trough. The overall collection efficiency (ηcoll) can be expressed as:

 

ηcoll = ηae × ηcap × ηdr 

 

where ηae, ηcap and ηdr are the aerodynamic, capture and drainage efficiency, respectively.

Aerodynamic efficiency (ηae) denotes the water droplet fraction in the air that may collide with the mesh. The fraction of actual fog droplet that impinges on the mesh fibers and gets deposited is represented by the capture efficiency (ηcap).The drainage efficiency (ηdr) represents the fraction of the air water that travels to the gutter after colliding with the mesh.

 

Drainage Efficiency (ηdr), the air water drain from the mesh depends on the size of the droplet, droplet surface tension and the diameter of the mesh bottom.

 

Depending on the data obtained, the number of air water collection systems per hectare of land required to meet the crop demand will be calculated.

 

Reference literature: Ghosh, R., Ray, T.K. and Ganguly, R. (2015). Cooling tower fog harvesting in power plants - A pilot study. Energy 89: 1018-1028.

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

An overall assessment of the environmental impact associated with the construction and operation of the air water collection system will show that, compared to other water supply sources, this technology will prove to have substantial benefits and a inconsiderable downside risk.

Air water collectors can provide water for agriculture and create forest plantations (reforestation) becoming self-sufficient especially in desert environments. It can also provide water for human consumption.

The impact of the water on the environment, as with other water sources, may this take place many kilometers away from the place of production. This project allows one the manage the effect of the water on the flora and fauna and to potentially operate in environmentally sensitive areas

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

It´s a new project

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 

3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 

6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 

9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 

12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 

13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 

15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 

SDG Subgoals

12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources 

12.6 - Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle 

12.7 - Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities 

12.a - Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production 

15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements 

15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally 

15.3 - By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world 

15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species 

2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round 

2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment 

2.a - Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries 

6.1 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all 

6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally 

6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity 

6.5 - By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate 

6.a - By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies 

6.b - Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management 

8.2 - Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors 

8.4 - Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10‑Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead 

9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities 

9.a - Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States 

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

2.3.1 - Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size 

6.1.1 - Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services 

6.3.2 - Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality 

6.4.1 - Change in water-use efficiency over time 

6.4.2 - Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources 

6.5.1 - Degree of integrated water resources management 

12.a.1 - Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita) 

15.1.1 - Forest area as a proportion of total land area 

15.2.1 - Progress towards sustainable forest management 

15.3.1 - Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area