2011 Choluteca Aquaponics Post-Trip Documentation

41 Pages·2011·3.57 MB·English

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AQUAPONICS TEAM

March 2011 – Choluteca
Post-Trip Documentation

April 19, 2011

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Team Members
Kristen Frooman
Michael Jewitt
Son Ngo
Ronni Nimps
Amanda Peterson
Drew Pritt
Miriam Simon
Michael Wolfe

Advised by: Greg Bixler & Roger Dzwonczyk
Table of Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………….2

Goals ……………………………………………………………………………………...5

Detailed Plans …………………………………………………………………………….7

Fish and Plant Research …………………………………………………………. 8

Solar Pump Specifications ……………………………………………………… 11

Mechanical Pump Specifications ……………………………………………….. 15

Cost List ………………………………………………………………………………… 18

Trip Timeline …………………………………………………………………………… 20

Objectives Achieved ……………………………………………………………………. 21

Future Recommendations ………………………………………………………………. 26

Packing List …………………………………………………………………………….. 27

Useful Spanish Words ………………………………………………………………….. 28

Team Agreement ……………………………………………………………………….. 29

References ……………………………………………………………………………… 30

Appendix A – Timer Specifications ……………………………………………………. 31

Appendix B – SOLAIRES Solar Panel Specifications …………………………………. 36

1
Introduction

ECOS (Engineers for Community Service), Dr. John Merrill and Dr. Roger
Dzwonczyk have been involved with the Office of International Affairs at the Ohio State
University, and for the past few years have taken groups of students to Honduras to learn and
interact with locals in designated service learning trips. In 2010 a small team of students
along with Dr. Dzwonczyk have gone to the city of Choluteca, Honduras to address various
project opportunities. These projects have included working at a Vocational School to
address computer infrastructure, assessing a clinic focused on preventative health care,
investigating model homes, aquaponics systems, and water quality. This year, eight students
will be traveling to Choluteca to implement an aquaponics system at a vocational school.

An aquaponics system is composed of at least two different tanks, one that
maintains fish and the other is for plants. There are other essential components, such as a
pump that transports nutrient-rich water from the fish tank to the plant tank. The plants
consume those nutrients and clean the water in the process. The water is then transported
back into the fish tank. Larry Overholt, who heads a vocational school in Choluteca,
Honduras, would like an aquaponics system built at the school in order to use as a
working model to teach others about of aquaponics.

The team has decided to build two different pump models: one solar pump and
one manual/mechanical pump. Since electricity reliability is a major concern for the area,
it is important that we provide affordable and grid-independent pump options. Cost is
another factor necessary to keep in mind while designing the prototypes, as they will be
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aimed at low-income families which want their aquaponics system to be profitable and
reliable.
The following diagram from http://www.compostguy.com/aquaponics-resource-page/
indicates the basic layout of an aquaponics system.

The following problem statement provides the basic guidelines that the team and the
customer have agreed upon.
“The aquaponics system must be able to run efficiently, possibly without the use of
electricity, as energy reliability is a major concern in Honduras. The system must be
sized appropriately, as it is to be used as an aid to provide food for a family of five. The
system is to be built with locally available materials and must be easy to use and
maintain.”

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Participants

Miriam Simon – Team leader – Design, Electrical Engineering – Manual Pump Team
- Electronics and Solar Panel hookup, gravel collection, documentation.
Kristen Frooman – Mechanical Engineer – Manual Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, organic material.
Michael Jewitt – Computer Engineering – Manual Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, siphon implementation, organic material.
Son Ngo – Mechanical Engineering – Manual Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, siphon, manual pump guru.
Ronni Nimps – Nuclear Engineering – Solar Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, gravel collection, data collection.
Amanda Peterson – Mechanical Engineering – Solar Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, organic material.
Drew Pritt – Mechanical Engineering, Economics – Solar Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, organic material.
Michael Wolfe – Biomedical Engineering – Solar Pump Team
- Structure design, assembly, organic material.

Greg Bixler – Team Adviser - Mechanical Engineering – Humanitarian Engineering
Dr. Roger Dzwonczyk – Team Adviser – Electrical Engineering, OSU Medical Center
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Goals

The main goal for the aquaponics team is to produce a workable aquaponics system that
meets the specifications. The team has come up with the following requirements and has
ordered them from most important to least important.

The main ones that the team is focusing on include cost (~$400), reliability/durability, low
maintenance, replicable, sustainability, ease of use, and energy efficiency.
- Per Larry Overholt’s request, the budget for the entire system is to be around $400.
- The system must be reliable and durable, as customers may not have the budget to replace
components often. Location of the system also plays a factor, as these may be located in
remote areas that don’t have access to local hardware stores for replacement parts.
- Customers should not have to spend too much time or money maintaining the system, as
this would compromise their time in other daily tasks/chores.
- The system must be easily replicable in order to become sustainable. Local merchants
should be able to use the existing aquaponics model and create ones that he/she can sell for a
profit.
- Customers should find the system easy to use in order to make it part of their daily routines.
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- The system must be energy efficient. One, because grid power is not 100% reliable, two
because customers might not be able to afford the electricity required to power the system,
and three, because these systems could be located in remote areas of the country where a
reliable electricity source is simply not available.

Once these factors were singled out, the team of eight members was split into two (four each)
in order to come up with two different solutions. One team focused on solar-powered pumps
and the other team focused on a manual/mechanical pump. The manual/mechanical pump
serves two different purposes. One of them is to show customers that a low-cost system is an
option if they don’t want to invest in solar panels or another form of electrical power, and the
other is to be the backup system in case the solar pump fails. This way, the system has built-
in redundancy for the most important component.

Stakeholders
The following have been identified as the primary stakeholders of the final product:
Larry Overholt – head of the vocational school where system will be set-up.
Customers/users – Family of 5 members
Maintenance individuals
Funding individuals/companies
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Detailed Plans
Pre-trip Schedule

February 9, 2011 – Concept discussions, brainstorming ideas.

February 16, 2011 -Gather information about aquaponics systems, research different
types of pumps, gather customer information and requirements, research ecology of the
system, research physical requirements of the system, research maintenance
requirements.

February 23, 2011 – First prototypes - design and development. Assess models for
customer requirements.

March 2, 2011 – Narrow-down prototype. Assess material requirements, logistics, etc.
Assess product specifications. Project presentation

March 7, 2011 – Meeting to decide on final system components.

March 9-15, 2011 – De-bug the system. Make final adjustments. Prepare materials
needed to take to Choluteca. Project documentation must be completed.

March 16, 2011 – Get system ready for Choluteca implementation.

March 18,2011 – Packing “party” – pack materials to take on trip.

March 19 – 25, 2011 – Implement the aquaponics system
- Build and prime/stock the system
- Data Collection
- Collect feedback

Design Details

-Design Research
-physical design
-pump
-ecology
-maintenance
- Cost estimation
-Materials (availability and cost, sources, vendors, etc.)
- Labor
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Fish and Plant Research

Fish:
Barramundi
− Grown during warmer months
− Start with a mature stock
− Popular in Southeast Asia/Australia
− High market price
− Grows quickly
− Grows to plate size (500 g)
− Eggs and larvae must grow in salt
Catfish
− Channel catfish most widely used
− Quickly grown (1lb in 5 months from fingerling)
− Good food conversion ratio (requires less food) 1.5lb of feed for 1lb of fish
− Good in temp from 70-90 F
Jade Perch
− High omega three content
− Native to Australia
− High in fat
− Omnivorous diet
− Grow quickly
− Easily obtainable

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Tilapia
− Second most cultured fish in the world
− Easy to breed
− Fast growing (2.5 in 5 months)
− Can withstand poor water conditions
− Omnivorous diet
− Delicious
− Requires warm water
Trout
− Require cooler water (20-10c)
− Fast grow rates
Blue Gill
− Can survive in 39-90 F
− Hardy, can live in a wide range of water conditions
− Adult won't eat pellets if not trained with fingerlings
Other Species:
Fresh water mussels
− Grown in flooded grow beds or incorporated in fish tanks
− Excellent at purifying water
Fresh water prawns
Fresh water crayfish
Crustaceans
- In tropical areas, redclaw are used
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