EN 01 - Portable Autonomous Climate-Controlled Mushroom Ecosphere (PACME)

The Portable Autonomous Climate-Controlled Mushroom Ecosphere (PACME) is a solar- powered, self-sustaining system designed to optimize mushroom cultivation in any environment.  It is composed of the housing, the energy systems, and the automation systems.  The housing is made of plexiglass and aluminum extrusions which are readily-available materials.  The plexiglass is cut to size and slid into the aluminum extrusions which are secured using a bolt and clip. The project also has a drip tray which not only catches water droplets during the humidifying operation but also channels the water back to the humidifier reservoir, saving water. The project’s energy system is composed of a 30W monocrystalline solar PV panel, a charge controller, and a battery.  The PV panel absorbs solar radiation and converts it to DC electrical energy. This flows into the charge controller and then into the battery where it is stored.  The automation systems are made up of the relay, Peltier device, ventilation fans, humidifier, LED light, Arduino microcontroller, LCD, photoresistor, water level sensor, and a CO2 unit with Temperature and Humidity sensors. Energy stored in the battery flows into the relay which act as switches to trigger the Peltier device, ventilation fans, LED lights, and humidifier.  The operation of the Peltier, fans and light strips depend on the readings taken by the sensors. If the humidity sensor detects that humidity is less than 80%, the humidifier is turned on until humidity reaches 90%.  The Peltier device (heating fan) operates together with the humidifier or when the temperature is below 20°C. When the CO2 sensor detects CO2 levels to be more than 1000ppm, the ventilation fans perform a fresh air exchange. The LED strips turn on when the photoresistor senses the intensity of the surrounding light is under the given threshold. There is also a water-level sensor which detects the water level inside the humidifier reservoir.  The red light turns off when the water level is low to notify that a refill is required. The Arduino microcontroller acts as the brains of the system.  It receives the sensor readings, processes the information according to the code uploaded to it, and sends the signal to the relay for operation or non-operation of equipment.  The parameter readings are displayed on the LCD.

The system achieved the minimum required humidity of 80% at 60 to 80 seconds, and the maximum humidity of 90% at 90 to 110 seconds.  From a single block, 2-4 flushes (harvests) of mushrooms can be obtained. The project aims to harvest a maximum of 1kg of mushrooms during the fruiting stages. Considering that 1kWh is needed to produce 1lb of mushrooms  and considering that in Canada 1kWh equates to 100g of CO2eq / kWh , we can prevent 1kg of CO2eq from being emitted per kilogram of mushroom using PACME.  The system is tailored for sustainability by leveraging mushrooms’ low environmental impact, versatility, and high nutritional value while minimizing water, electricity and land usage.