# US 2019/0166776 A1 · System and method for solar greenhouse aquaponics and black soldier fly composter and auto fish feeder

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- Number: US 2019/0166776 A1
- Document ID: US20190166776A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/265,843
- Filed: 2019-02-01
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-02-28
- Inventors: Carlos R. Villamar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190166776A1

## CPC

- A01G 31/02: Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00)
- A01G 9/14: Greenhouses
- A01K 61/10: of fish
- A01K 61/80: Feeding devices
- A01K 63/04: Arrangements for treating water specially adapted to receptacles for live fish
- A01K 63/042: {Introducing gases into the water, e.g. aerators, air pumps}
- A01K 63/045: {Filters for aquaria}
- A01K 63/047: {Liquid pumps for aquaria (air pumps for aquaria A01K63/042)}
- A01K 63/065: {Heating or cooling devices}
- A01K 67/34: Insects (genetically modified insects A01K67/68)
- G01N 21/27: using photo-electric detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence){; circuits for computing concentration (logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J)}
- G01N 33/004: {CO or CO2}
- G01N 33/1886: {using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys}
- G01N 2201/12: Circuits of general importance; Signal processing
- Y02A 40/25: Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
- Y02A 40/81: Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
- Y02A 50/20: Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
- Y02P 60/21: Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
- Y02P 60/52: use of renewable energies
- Y02P 60/60: Fishing; Aquaculture; Aquafarming
- A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12)
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

An aquaponics and greenhouse system, includes an insulated solar greenhouse with a glazing on a sun facing side at an angle to maximize winter sunlight, and housing a fish tank housed within the solar greenhouse; a plant growing area housed within the solar greenhouse; a mushroom growing area housed within the solar greenhouse; a water wall thermal mass housed within the solar greenhouse and disposed between the plant growing area and mushroom growing area; and a natural air ventilation system housed within the solar greenhouse and configured to provide misted air into the mushroom growing area. O2 generated by the plant growing area is received by the natural air ventilation system and provided to the mushroom growing area, and CO2 generated by the mushroom growing area is provided to the plant growing area.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An aquaponics, and greenhouse system comprising:
an insulated solar greenhouse with a glazing on a sun facing side at an angle to maximize winter sunlight, and housing:
a fish tank housed within the solar greenhouse;
a plant growing area housed within the solar greenhouse;
a mushroom growing area housed within the solar greenhouse;
a water wall thermal mass housed within the solar greenhouse and disposed between the plant growing area and mushroom growing area; and
a natural air ventilation system housed within the solar greenhouse and configured to provide misted air into the mushroom growing area,
wherein O2 generated by the plant growing area is received by the natural air ventilation system and provided to the mushroom growing area, and CO2 generated by the mushroom growing area is provided to the plant growing area.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of grow beds coupled to the fish tank and also housed within the solar greenhouse in the plant growing area, wherein each one of the plurality of grow beds is coupled to a respective fish tank geyser pump internal to the fish tank,
wherein the fish tank geyser pumps are powered by an external air pump to pump water from the fish tank to the grow bed and aerate water of the fish tank; and
a hard filter coupled to the fish tank and having a hard filter geyser pump internal to the fish tank and powered by an external air pump to pump water from the fish tank to the hard filter to aerate and filter water of the fish tank, wherein the hard filter includes algae layer on an upper portion thereof with an air stone powered by an external air pump underneath the algae layer to aerate the algae.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a desalination system disposed under the plant growing area for generating fresh water for use in the greenhouse.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the natural air ventilation system further comprises:
a secondary roof plenum disposed underneath the roof of the greenhouse and coupled to a rain gutter water reservoir;
a water filter coupled to the rain gutter water reservoir and configured to filter water from the rain gutter water reservoir; and
a water pump coupled to the filter and configured to pump the filtered water to a mister spray head on an upper portion of the secondary roof plenum so that a water mist is sprayed and configured to condense within a channel formed by the roof of the greenhouse and the secondary roof plenum and return to the rain gutter water reservoir.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the hard filter comprises:
mechanical filtration, biological filtration, chemical filtration, and/or UV light sanitation; and
a duckweed auto fish feeder having an output coupled to the fish tank and with duckweed growing on a top water surface of the hard filter provided to the fish tank.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, further comprising:
a black soldier fly (BSF) composting and auto fish feeder for converting organic matter into BSF larvae for fish feed, and comprising a BSF container having an internal ramp, and an external ramp, with the internal ramp disposed within the BSF container, and with the external ramp coupled to the internal ramp and disposed over the fish tank so that the BSF larvae can crawl up the internal ramp and drop off from the external ramp into the fish tank as the fish feed.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, further comprising:
a spectral analyzer based sensor having a gas probe disposed within the greenhouse to measure air parameters of the greenhouse including temperature, humidity, O2, and CO2 levels in the greenhouse, and a water probe disposed within the fish tank to measure water parameters of the fish tank water including dissolved oxygen, PH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and electrical conductivity (EC) levels of the fish tank water, and
a computer coupled to the spectral analyzer based sensor and configured to control one or more of the air and water parameters based on the measured air and water parameters levels.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein each of the grow beds includes a bell siphon external to the grow bed and configured to drain the water from the grow bed back into the fish tank and from the grow bed back into the respective hydroponic tank, and
each bell siphon comprises a bell siphon housing with an open end and closed top, with the open end of the bell siphon housing coupled to a bottom of the grow bed, and a bell siphon standpipe extending within the bell siphon housing and coupled to the fish tank to drain the water from the grow bed back into the fish tank, and to the respective hydroponic tank via respective valves.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein each of the fish tank and hard filter geyser pumps comprises a geyser pump housing with an open bottom and closed top, with an air inlet provided in the geyser pump housing coupled to the air pump, and a geyser pump standpipe extending through the closed top of the geyser pump housing to an inside of the geyser pump housing and coupled to a top of the grow bed to pump and aerate the water from the fish tank to the top of the grow bed.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
solar panels disposed on top of the greenhouse; and
a solar panel cleaning device disposed on the solar panels and configured to clean dust or sand on the solar panels.