US008181391B1 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 8,181,391 B1 Giacomantonio (45) Date of Patent: May 22, 2012 (54) VERTICAL AQUAPONIC MICRO FARM 4,676,023 A 6/1987 Mori 4,908,985 A 3/1990 Dowell . - - 5,031,359 A 7/1991 Moffett, Jr. (75) lnvemor- 2:111 Gslacomalltolllos Half Moon Bay, 5,046,451 A ., 9/1991 Inslee et a1‘ “““““““““ “ 119/227 (U ) 5,073,401 A 12/1991 Mohr 5,363,594 A 11/1994 Davis (73) Assignee: INKA Biospheric Systems, Half Moon 5,394,647 A 3/1995 Blackford, Jr. Bay, CA (US) 5,608,989 A 3/1997 Behrens 5,826,375 A 10/1998 Black ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this g1 * """""""" " 47/62 A patent is extended or adjusted under 35 632403674 Bl 60001 Otake et a1‘ ' U.S.C. 154(b) by 245 days. 6,393,764 B1 5/2002 Smith 6,397,520 B1 6/2002 Kosinski (21) Appl. No.: 12/403,939 (Continued) (22) Filed: Mar‘ 13’ 2009 Primary Examiner * T. Nguyen Related U 5 Application Data (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm *Dergosits & Noah LLP; ' ' Geoffrey T. Staniford (60) Provisional application No. 61/069,447, ?led on Mar. 14, 2008. (57) ABSTRACT Embodiments of a vertical a ua onic micro farm are (51) Int. Cl. . . .q P . . A 01G 31/00 (2006 01) described. The vert1cal aquaponrc micro farm is designed to (52) U 5 Cl 47/62 R_ 47k62 A_ 47/62 N_ 4769 R support and incorporate a variety of food growing and alter _' ' ' """ _ ’ ’ ’ native energy devices, and can be used to groW plants, ?sh, (58) Field of Classi?cation Search ................ .. 47/62 R, and other Similar organisms_ The System incorporates a bio_ 47/59 R’ 64’ 59 S’ 60’ 61’ 62 A’ 63’ 62 N’ logically active groW mat and ?lter system and combines a 47/65'5’ 659’ 66'1’ 66'6f 67’ 39’ 79’ 80’ biological ?lter system With aquaculture, hydroponics, solar, 47/82’ 83’ 86’ 87’ 17’ 1'4’ 119/224’ 215’ Wind, and battery technologies. The vertical aquaponic gar _ _ 119/226’ 200’ 227 den/farm represents a self-sustaining micro farm that can be See apphcanon ?le for Complete Search hlstory' set up in any area With exposure to sunlight and/ or Wind. It can (56) References Cited be used in exterior locations, or interior applications With the addition of appropriate lighting systems. Depending on appli cation, the system uses signi?cantly less Water that required US. PATENT DOCUMENTS for traditional farming. Water is recycled through the groW 2,747,331 A 5/1956 Steiner mat media bed (bio-mat) and a biologic ?lter, Which can be 2,807,912 A * 10/1957 Bjorksten ................ .. 47/58.1 R inoculated With a culture of nitrifying bacteria in combination 3,537,687 A 11/1970 Adelman 3,866,352 A 2/1975 Herveling et a1. With the plant roots. This system eliminates nitrogen Waste by 4,038,779 A 8/1977 Roberts, Jr. et a1. metabolizing ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. If ?sh are present, 4,295,296 A 10/1981 Kinghorn the system converts the e?luent from the ?sh pond into plant 4,379,375 A 4/1983 Eisenberg et a1. mass. The overall system then returns clean Water back to the 4,399,634 A 8/1983 O’Hare ?sh pond. 4,407,092 A 10/1983 Ware 4,584,791 A 4/1986 Wolf 4,593,490 A 6/1986 Bodine 16 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets US 8,181,391 B1 Page 2 US. PATENT DOCUMENTS 7,536,827 B2 5/2009 Busch et a1. 2002/0066414 Al* 6/2002 Hallock et a1. .............. .. 119/248 2,2321%; 5; 5358843‘ %°D°n°Jugh et a1~ 2003/0104353 Al* 6/2003 Brielmeier et a1. ............. .. 435/5 6,827,036 B2 12/2004 ceetonl’l L 2005/0241231 A1 11/2005 Bissonnette @1111. 7,143,544 B2 12/2006 Rom“) Y 2008/0155894 A1 7/2008 Bissonnette @1111. 7,168,206 B2 1/2007 Agiyus 2009/0007486 Al* 1/2009 Corradi ....................... .. 47/62R 7,a 243,a 460 B2 7/2007 Darlington 2009/0038221 A1 * 2/2009 Poore, Jr. .................... .. 47/62R 7,320,752 B2 1/2008 Austin et a1. * cited by examiner US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 1 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 17 (1 2? 1 l8 2 19\ @21 22 16 14 10 31 15 13 24 49 12 23 28 CID _ 26 \20 34 FIG. 1 US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 2 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 FIG.2 US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 3 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 4 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 36 37 34 FIG.4 US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 5 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 FIG.5 US. Patent May 22, 2012 Sheet 6 of6 US 8,181,391 B1 QEOQSPE 5E3, 823 22M3G55E1,E%, 8@EO3EE38;3 QGE ...-.v. .. I I r US 8,181,391 B1 1 2 VERTICAL AQUAPONIC MICRO FARM represents a self-sustaining micro farm that can be set up in any area With exposure to sunlight and/ or Wind. It can be used CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED in exterior locations, or interior applications With the addition APPLICATIONS of appropriate lighting systems. Depending on application, the system uses signi?cantly less Water that required for tra The current application claims the bene?t of US. Provi ditional farming. Water is recycled through the groW media sional Patent Application No. 61/069,447 entitled “Vertical bed (bio-mat) and a biologic ?lter, Which can be inoculated Aquaponic Micro Farm” and ?led on Mar. 14, 2008, Which is With a culture of nitrifying bacteria in combination With the hereby incorporated by reference in it entirety. plant roots. This system eliminates nitrogen Waste by metabo liZing ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. If ?sh are present, the FIELD system converts the ef?uent from the ?sh pond into plant mass. The overall system then returns clean Water back to the Embodiments of the invention relate generally to food ?sh pond. growing systems, and more speci?cally, to a vertically-ori Embodiments include a system to cycle a stream of Water ented, closed-loop aquaponic micro farm. in a continuous loop through a ?sh pond and then through a hydroponic subsystem. In this fashion, the e?luent from the BACKGROUND ?sh pond provides nutrients for the roots and microorganisms of the hydroponic system. This effectively fertiliZes the plants In many areas of the World, access to arable land and fresh Water is signi?cantly restricted. Such areas typically suffer 20 and clears the toxin out of the Water for the ?sh. Grey and from very loW standards of living given the limited ability of other recycled Water sources can be cycled through this, people to groW food and the often harsh environmental con thereby reusing Water that might otherWise have been Wasted. ditions. Even in areas With relatively good levels of arable Embodiments of the aquaponic micro farm include poWer land and Water, e?icient food groWth may be a challenge due generation components to sustain or support the system. to oversaturated groWing conditions and/ or seasonal land 25 These poWer generation components may include Wind tur constraints. In all food groWing environments the presence of bines, Water turbines, solar panels, fuel cells, and other simi Weeds, vermin, pests, insects, and otherparasitic organisms is lar poWer sources. The poWer accumulated by these devices a constant threat. can be stored in battery banks, capacitors, or other electrical Variations in climate, soil conditions, and other factors poWer storage devices. If desired, the stored DC energy may generally limit the types of food crops that can be groWn in 30 be converted to AC poWer by an inverter. Alternatively, a local any particular area. The advent of greenhouses has alloWed poWer supply may be used. Such poWer support can be used the groWing of certain crops in many regions of the World and to run an electric circulation pump, ultra violet ?lter, laptop times of the year that normally Would not be optimal. Green computer, telecommunication system, radio, lights, electric houses, hoWever, are typically large-scale, extensive struc controllers, or other electrical circuits. Certain items, such as tures that utiliZe expensive materials and can be costly to 35 the pumping system may be directly driven by certain types of operate. Small-scale greenhouses have also been developed, poWer. For example, Wind energy can be used to directly drive but these structures are often expensive, complex and rely on the pumping system. heavy, expensive glass panels. This limits their portability and Advantages of embodiments of the system include both applicability to use in poor and developing regions. Another health and economic bene?ts resultant from enhanced ability disadvantage associated With greenhouse systems is that they 40 to cultivate fresh produce, herbs and ?sh in a reduced foot still require near normal amounts of Water, soil nutrients, and print. The ability to con?gure the system in a vertical orien space to groW crops in any signi?cant amount. tation such as mounting the on a Wall or the roof of a building, What is needed, therefore, is a food groWing system that alloWs for deployment in a Wide variety of environments and provides an improved Way to groW food Where access to can be used by individuals, households, small businesses, and arable land and fresh Water is restricted. 45 so on, for the creation of a neW income base from any number of crops, such as fruits, herbs, vegetables, ?oWers, and ?sh. SUMMARY Another advantage of the disclosed system is that the harm associated With many traditional pest and animals is dramati Embodiments of a vertical aquaponic (or hydroponic) cally reduced because the groWing beds are set vertically and micro farm are described. This invention can be set up on the 50 are isolated from the ground, in certain embodiments. There sides of buildings and on rooftops or places Where arable land fore, access to certain pests (e. g., rodents and other non-?ying is not available. A large variety of plants, crops, and even ?sh pests is minimized). This can result in a minimiZation of the can be cultivated in a relatively small area With minimal uses of pesticide, herbicides, or traps. external energy use. Design and deployment aspects limit the ability for Weeds, vermin, and insects to gain access to the 55 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE groWing environment, thereby minimiZing or even eliminat ing the need for herbicides, pesticides and traps. In areas Each publication, patent, and/or patent application men Where Water supply is scarce and or distant, the vertical aqua tioned in this speci?cation is herein incorporated by reference ponic micro farm alloWs for the recycling of locally available in its entirety to the same extent as if each individual publi Water, and or grey Water When conditions permit. 60 cation and/or patent application Was speci?cally and indi The vertical aquaponic micro farm is designed to support vidually indicated to be incorporated by reference. and incorporate a variety of food groWing and alternative energy devices, and can be used to groW plants, ?sh, and other BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS similar organisms. The system incorporates a biologically active groW mat and ?lter system and combines a biological 65 Embodiments are illustrated by Way of example and not ?lter system With aquaculture, hydroponics, solar, Wind, and limitation in the ?gures of the accompanying draWings, in battery technologies. The vertical aquaponic garden/farm Which like references indicate similar elements. US 8,181,391 B1 3 4 FIG. 1 is a ?rst perspective vieW of a vertical aquaponic one embodiment, plants 31 are planted into a series of verti micro farm, according to an embodiment. cally set, vegetable ?ber or food grade ?ber bio-mats, Which FIG. 2 is a detailed side pro?le elevation vieW of a para may additionally include activated carbon ?ltration mats. bolic arched truss scaffolding, Wind turbine, and inverter for Alternatively the ?ber bio mat substrate may be replaced With a vertical aquaponic micro farm, according to an embodi stones, glass or brick fragments, or any combination thereof. ment. In a general implementation, Water is recycled through the FIG. 3 is a detailed rear elevation vieW of the scaffolding groW media bed (bio-mat) and a biologic ?lter, Which can be structure of FIG. 2, With a ?sh pond, poWer storage/manage inoculated With a culture of nitrifying bacteria in combination ment system, and pump housing, under an embodiment. With the plant roots. For an embodiment in Which a ?sh pond FIG. 4 is a detailed elevation vieW of a biological system is present, Water from the ?sh pond 20 is pumped out of the for the hydroponic and aquaculture systems of a vertical pond through an intake vent and then passed through the ultra aquaponic micro farm, according to an embodiment. violet ?lter for the purpose of sterilizing the Water from free FIG. 5 is a schematic vieW of a hydroponic vertical garden ?oating bacteria, parasites, and algae, through a return pipe and a bio-mat groW media system, under an embodiment. and into an upper irrigation reservoir. The Water ?oWs FIG. 6 is a How diagram of process ?oWs in a ?shpond through an irrigation distribution head and sediment ?lter, based a vertical aquaponic micro farm, according to an Which evenly distributes Water and ?lters out large particu embodiment. late, onto the top edge of the bio-mats. DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shoWn in FIG. 1, the Water passes through three bio 20 mats that have been inoculated With bene?cial bacteria (e. g., Embodiments of a vertical aquaponic micro farm are Nitrosamines and Nitrobacteria) that convert ammonia into described. In the folloWing description, numerous speci?c nitrite, and then nitrite into nitrate, so that plants 31 can details are introduced to provide a thorough understanding of, metaboliZe. As the Water passes through the bio -mats, e?luent and enabling description for, embodiments of the system. and nutrients are metaboliZed by the plant roots and the ben One skilled in the relevant art, hoWever, Will recogniZe that 25 e?cial bacteria. The Water is collected in the irrigation catch these embodiments can be practiced Without one or more of ment trough 25, then returned to the ?sh pond 20 through the the speci?c details, or With other components, systems, and so out?oW pipe 24. The Water is returned to the ?sh pond clear of on. In other instances, Well-knoWn structures or operations materials harmful to the ?sh and at the same time provides a are not shoWn, or are not described in detail, to avoid obscur food source for the plants. The Water in system 9 is run on a ing aspects of the disclosed embodiments. 30 closed, continuous recirculation loop. FIG. 1 is a ?rst perspective vieW of a vertical aquaponic FIG. 2 is a side pro?le elevation vieW of the vertical aqua micro farm, according to an embodiment. In one embodi ponic micro farm of FIG. 1.As shoWn in FIG. 2, the parabolic ment, the vertical aquaponic micro farm comprises a scaf truss scaffolding 10 supports several system components and folding parabolic arch support structure With poWer systems, is provided in a shape and siZe appropriate for speci?c crop groW systems, and poWer storage/ management unit, and cer 35 groWth and environmental conditions. In one embodiment, tain communications capabilities provided through a tele the scaffold structure 10 supports a Wind turbine 17 that communication mast. produces electricity from Wind poWer. This poWer is sent to a FIG. 1 illustrates a vertical aquaponic micro farm structure voltage regulator 15 and then sent the electrical storage bank 9 under cultivation With actively groWing plants 31 groWing 12. The scaffold can also be con?gured to support one or more in or on a hydroponic garden bio media. Also shoWn as a groW 40 solar panels 16. The poWer generated from the Wind turbine product are ?sh Within ?sh pond 20 that may be coupled to the 17 and solar panels 16 is stored in the electrical storage bank farm structure 9. The micro farm 9 essentially comprises a 12, Which can be a battery bank or similar storage unit (e. g., parabolic or other shape scaffolding 10 having attached tWo capacitor). The system can also be poWered by conventional vertical masts 21 and 22 for supporting a Wind turbine 17, a AC poWer source Where available. The poWer is used upon telecommunication mast 18, and a Weather station 19. As 45 demand by the recirculation pump and the ultra violet ?lter, shoWn, tWo sets of parabolic scaffolding structures are sepa and any other electrical device in the system. In one embodi rated by a certain distance and coupled together through a ment, the scaffold structure 10 also supports a rock groW series of horizontal beams. The separation distance and the media 32. height of the scaffolding generally de?nes the siZe of the FIG. 3 is a detailed rear elevation vieW of the scaffolding microfarm structure, and this can be set to many different 50 structure of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shoWs in more detail, the con?gu dimensions, depending on needs and siZe constraints. A series ration and placement of the ?sh pond 20, electrical storage of solar panels 16 and electrical storage bank 12 provide bank 12, poWer management circuits, recirculation pump poWer for the ?sh pond pump and ultraviolet (UV) ?lter housing 29, and other units of micro farm 9. Attached to the system. Details of the pump and ?lter system are shoWn more rear frame of the parabolic scaffolding through a mounting on clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, discussed in greater detail beloW. 55 the back brace is a poWer inverter and management unit 13, The Weather station 19 can include one or more devices for telecommunication system 14, voltage regulator 15, and a measuring certain environmental conditions. These condi Weather station/anemometer 27. All electrical devices are tions can include Wind speed, Wind direction, air temperature, Wired to the circuit breaker box 30 for poWer control. PoWer humidity, barometric pres sure, and other relevant conditions. is supplied to and from the poWer sources and electrical The telecommunications mast can support a radio antenna 60 devices to the storage bank 12 through poWer cable 49. aerial, or other communications device, as Well as other sys The entire parabolic scaffolding may be set on a steel tems, such as a GPS (global positioning system) device. foundation brace 26 for added stability. Alternatively, the The micro farm system 10 incorporates a biologically scaffolding posts be set in concrete or equivalent foundations active groW mat and ?lter system and combines a biological for permanent or semi-permanent deployment. In a further ?lter system With aquaculture and hydroponics technologies. 65 alternative embodiment, the scaffolding structure may be Centrally positioned on the parabolic scaffolding 10 is a placed on Wheels or movable pallets for mobile or temporary substantially vertical hydroponic plant groWing system. In deployments.