Vertical Farming

In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld flat-knitted textiles were developed and evaluated for their function as textile carriers for the cultivation of plants.

 

The research and development project was funded by ZIM, Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand

 

 

The aim of vertical farming is to produce plant or animal products from agriculture all year round in multi-story buildings, so-called farm scrapers, within urban centers. This shortens transport routes, saves or generates energy and saves cultivation areas.

 

The aim of the project is to develop textile substrates based on coated knits and nano fleeces for the cultivation of various crops in a very small space, which improve nutrient absorption and plant growth and thus enable optimal use of space. From algae to mosses to fruit and vegetable plants, requirement-specific solutions are to be found for the respective crop types. Particular attention is paid to the combination of synthetic polymers with biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins, which enables efficient growth of biomass on textile substrates.

 

 

As part of the project, a 3D printed display with an installed flat knitting module for planting herbs was designed.

The base is a tubular knit with weft inserts. Due to the construction and the cotton weft inserts, the integrated seed tapes are self-watered by using capillary forces.