Æromatrix Explored

Time for a new theory to be challenged.

The Æromatrix explored is a radically new concept that occurred to me as an entirely new way of growing hydroponic/aeroponic-ly. The design concept is based on DWC utilizing a channel of nutrient solution (a fairly large volume) as the concept is not designed for stealth or necessarily discrete growing. It is a theory that I wish to explore and will most likely evolve into a more practical design, if it does not fail completely.

The channel approximately 2' wide by 2' deep would hold the entirety of the nutrient reserve. Within the channel located at the bottom would be a long multi armed pipe (PVC would be fine 1/2") with very small holes drilled along the 'ribs' that would inject Co2 and O2 in alternating cycles—A similar cycle to high pressure Aeroponics.

The theory I have is that the Co2 Carbon loading phase would decrease the solution ph (causing greater nutrient uptake into the plant's root structure) simultaneously releasing Carbon into the solution (aiding in uptake and construction of basic molecular building blocks as plants are 47% Carbon by dry weight).

Alternating with injections of air or O2 that would continue breaking up the Carbon released and Oxygenating the nutrient solution thereby re-stabilizing it again before the next Carbon loading phase takes place.

I have no idea if or how this will work, however it is my intention to experiment.

This is 90 degrees from Aeroponic and I'm not sure what it would be classified as so I have named it Æromatrix and I intend to utilize the exact same design mirrored under the canopy with Co2 and O2 (fresh air) cycling (which should, I believe, prevent the plant from reducing its stomata coverage in response to elevated Co2 levels.)

As it is apparent that the root system in True Aeroponic Environments almost respires on a 5-minute cycle, in a submerged nutrient solution with heavy aeration, agitation, and Carbon availability the rates of growth and health should rival that of an ideal Aeroponic environment.

The nutrient strategies I have not yet gotten too, first I'm working on how this rig might be constructed and tested.

Anyone interested in running experiments of this nature would be welcomed to join in and investigate to see if we haven't actually found a uniquely different method of aeroponic respiration via carbonic action and carbon loading. How much fun will that be, eh?

Try this first: Run Co2 through an airstone in a 5 gallon bucket of water/RO water and plot the PH curve over time, hours/days?

That's exactly my plan BD. I'm currently building test rigs, nothing to kill plants yet. To monitor Ph flux, O2 reaction and see what if any happens without the influence of organic matter and then with bio influence. Care to join in?

research continues on Carbon loading under Nitrogen

research continues on Carbon loading under Nitrogen

M. D. Cramer1, 2 and O. A. M. Lewis1
(1) Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa
(2) Present address: Center for Desert Agrobiology, J. Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Sede Boqer, 84993, Israel

Received: 16 December 1992 Accepted: 18 June 1993
Abstract The carbon and nitrogen partitioning characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) grown hydroponically at a constant pH on either 4 mM or 12 mM NO3 - or NH4 + nutrition were investigated using either 14C or 15N techniques. Greater allocation of 14C to amino-N fractions occurred at the expense of allocation of 14C to carbohydrate fractions in NH4 +-compared to NO3 --fed plants. The [14C]carbohydrate:[14C]amino-N ratios were 1.5-fold and 2.0-fold greater in shoots and roots respectively of 12 mM NO3 --compared to 12 mM NH4 +-fed wheat. In both 4 mM and 12 mM N-fed maize the [14C]carbohydrate:[14C]amino-N ratios were approximately 1.7-fold and 2.0-fold greater in shoots and roots respectively of NO3 --compared to NH4 +-fed plants. Similar results were observed in roots of wheat and maize grown in split-root culture with one root-half in NO3 --and the other in NH4 +-containing nutrient media. Thus the allocation of carbon to the amino-N fractions occurred at the expense of carbohydrate fractions, particularly within the root. Allocation of 14N and 15N within separate sets of plants confirmed that NH4 --fed plants accumulated more amino-N compounds than NO3 --fed plants. Wheat roots supplied with 15NH4 + for 8 h were found to accumulate 15NH4 + (8.5 mgrg 15N g-1 h-1) whereas in maize roots very little 15NH4 + accumulated (1.5 mgrg 15N g-1 h-1)
It is proposed that the observed accumulation of 15NH4 + in wheat roots in these experiments is the result of limited availability of carbon within the roots of the wheat plants for the detoxification of NH4 +, in contrast to the situation in maize. Higher photosynthetic capacity and lower shoot: root ratios of the C4 maize plants ensure greater carbon availability to the root than in the C3 wheat plants. These differences in carbon and nitrogen partitioning between NO3 --and NH4 +-fed wheat and maize could be responsible for different responses of wheat and maize root growth to NO3 - and NH4 + nutrition.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Tea (Camellia sinensis) is considered to be acid tolerant and prefers ammonium nutrition, but the interaction between root zone acidity and N form is not properly understood. The present study was performed to characterize their interaction with respect to growth and mineral nutrition.

METHODS: Tea plants were hydroponically cultured with NH4+, NO3– and NH4++NO3–, at pH 4·0, 5·0 and 6·0, which were maintained by pH stat systems.

KEY RESULTS: Plants supplied with NO3– showed yellowish leaves resembling nitrogen deficiency and grew much slower than those receiving NH4+ or NH4++NO3– irrespective of root-zone pH. Absorption of NH4+ was 2- to 3·4-fold faster than NO3– when supplied separately, and 6- to 16-fold faster when supplied simultaneously. Nitrate-grown plants had significantly reduced glutamine synthetase activity, and lower concentrations of total N, free amino acids and glucose in the roots, but higher concentrations of cations and carboxylates (mainly oxalate) than those grown with NH4+ or NH4++NO3–. Biomass production was largest at pH 5·0 regardless of N form, and was drastically reduced by a combination of high root-zone pH and NO3–. Low root-zone pH reduced root growth only in NO3–-fed plants. Absorption of N followed a similar pattern as root-zone pH changed, showing highest uptake rates at pH 5·0. The concentrations of total N, free amino acids, sugars and the activity of GS were generally not influenced by pH, whereas the concentrations of cations and carboxylates were generally increased with increasing root-zone pH.

CONCLUSIONS: Tea plants are well-adapted to NH4+-rich environments by exhibiting a high capacity for NH4+ assimilation in their roots, reflected in strongly increased key enzyme activities and improved carbohydrate status. The poor plant growth with NO3– was largely associated with inefficient absorption of this N source. Decreased growth caused by inappropriate external pH corresponded well with the declining absorption of nitrogen.

Photosynthesis is the manufacture of sugar from two simple raw materials - carbon dioxide and water - in the presence of chlorophyll with sunlight (or artificial light) as the source of energy. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is vital to the plants survival. The normal atmospheric level is about 340 parts per million (ppm). Research has shown that plants are able to use more CO2 than is available in the atmosphere (up to 1500 ppm) to grow larger and faster. CO2 enrichment in your grow room has the potential to dramatically increase your yield with little cost. A CO2 injector should be used in conjunction with an exhaust fan to ensure all CO2 is exhausted between cycles. The injector should be installed above the lights because CO2 is heavier than air and will float down through the plants, resulting in maximum intake.



It is absolutely essential to have good ventilation with an incoming supply of fresh air (oxygen) as plants will soon consume all the CO2 in an enclosed environment. Plants could not complete respiration or utilize the food produced by photosynthesis unless they have a good supply of oxygen. An oscillating fan in the room will simulate the wind reducing ambient leaf temperature, restoring CO2 to the leaf zone and strengthening the stems. It will also make sure there is good distribution of fresh air throughout the room and help control humidity levels.

More Support for the theory

More Support for the theory

This is primarily why I believe this technique will work. Oddly it is based more on faith and creativity than science, but I think I can find the science to back it as fact.

What are the colored molecules of Nature? Color in organic molecules.

We see an orange as orange because, within the orange, a molecule is absorbing the blue part of visible light.

The world of plants is rich with color, extending from green foliage to multicolored flowers and fruits. Wherever we see color, there has to be a molecule absorbing part of the visible spectrum to create that color.

To understand what molecules can absorb visible light and hence cause color in nature, we must look at the structure of organic molecules. Molecules in plants consist mostly of a backbone of carbon atoms, generally also bonded to oxygen and hydrogen atoms (and, to a lesser degree, to atoms of nitrogen and other elements). Most of these molecules are not colored. For example, sugars and starches contain only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and they are not colored. But some molecules are colored, such as chlorophyll which is green and responsible for the green color of foliage and leaves. The green color of chlorophyll is critical to our life on earth. Chlorophyll facilitates photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the oxygen we breathe. Chlorophyll appears green because it absorbs red light from sunlight and it is this absorbed energy which drives photosynthesis. So color in plants is more than decorative: it is essential to life.

What distinguishes colorless molecules, such as starch, from colored molecules like chlorophyll? We can identify a distinguishing feature in their molecular structures. The table below shows the structures of many colored molecules found in plants. These include chlorophyll, carotene (which colors carrots orange), the dyes responsible for the color of flowers, and the natural blue dye indigo (used since antiquity, e.g,. in the form of woad by the "Picts" (painted people) whom Julius Caesar fought in Britain in 58 BC, up to today's all-pervading blue jeans). With two bromine atoms present, the result is Tyrian purple, laboriously extracted from certain sea shells and worn by the Roman emperors as a symbol of their status.

The backbones of all these molecules consist of sequences of carbon atoms linked to each other by alternating single and double bonds. These alternating sequences are an essential structural feature for an organic, carbon-based molecule to absorb light and appear colored. These same alternating sequences do not appear in the structures of colorless molecules such as starch and sugar.

Carbon atoms linked by "one and a half" bonds. The two electrons from the double bond are "delocalized". They are shared by all the carbon atoms in the alternating sequence.

In each of the molecular formulas in the figure, the carbon atoms which make up the skeleton have been omitted for clarity. There is a carbon atom located at every joint or junction in the rings and chains which make up the skeleton. In any sequence, each carbon atom is bonded to two neighboring carbon atoms, one by a single bond (two electrons, shown as a single line) and the other by a double bond (four electrons, a double line). In fact, the two electrons which make up the double bond cannot be assigned to either pair of atoms. They cannot be localized to any one bond. A better representation is "one and a half" bonds, as shown below.

Adjacent carbon atoms are bonded to each other by single, localized, electron-pair bonds. Additionally, each carbon donates one electron to a molecular orbital (or box) that extends over the whole carbon skeleton. These electrons, no longer localized in a double bond between two adjacent atoms, are now free to range over the whole molecule and hence are "delocalized." This electron delocalization stabilizes the molecule. This stabilization or lowering of the energy is equivalent to the additional half bond between adjacent carbon stoms.

Delocalized electrons, held in molecular orbitals, can absorb visible light, thereby becoming the source of color. An alternating sequence of single and double bonds is therefore the necessary structural requirement for color in organic molecules, because it produces electrons delocalized in molecular orbitals.



The chlorophyll molecule is the active part that absorbs the sunlight, but just as with hemoglobin, in order to do its job (synthesising carbohydrates) it needs to be attached to the backbone of a very complicated protein. This protein may look haphazard in design, but it has exactly the correct structure to orient the chlorophyll molecules in the optimal position to enable them to react with nearby CO2 and H2O molecules in a very efficient manner. This relates to the alternating Co2 O2 Æromatrix infussion. The basic components are perking at Aeroponic speeds, with DWC resources that don't limit the over all growth.

° For those of you lost as what the Nutrient and Color theory have in common, it just supports the Carbon Loading Cycle with Available Nutrient Uptake, as the Nitrogen and other elements need to be in ideal states, in ideal quantities for this to work efficently. Just like True Aeroponics. Just try to bear with it for a little longer, it will hopefully make more sense shortly.

Chlorophyll is the molecule that traps this 'most elusive of all powers' - and is called a photoreceptor. It is found in the chloroplasts of green plants, and is what makes green plants, green. The basic structure of a chlorophyll molecule is a porphyrin ring, co-ordinated to a central atom. This is very similar in structure to the heme group found in hemoglobin, except that in heme the central atom is iron, whereas in chlorophyll it is magnesium.



whew...and the beat goes on...

i would love to follow along as long as you update the info in a logical manner...

last time you would post, then go back and edit the post to respond to comments/questions, etc...it was too confusing for this stoner!

glad to see you back!

i hope it does not degrade like last time!

Sorry Stoner

Sorry Stoner

I think you are catching my posts too soon, sometimes I'm in the middle of research and I'm just posting thoughts and pieces while I gather them into something that I hope makes sense. I have to see it posted and then go back and 'edit' to clarify and delete useless crap that are just my margin notes. Like right now, I'm still working the post above you. It isn't finished, but I get knocked offline sometimes and it pisses me off to loose 2 hours of research, I hope you understand.

And if we can keep the assholes and flamers out of here, I think that would be possible. :wink:

I bet you this shit is happening on Io.

I bet you this shit is happening on Io.

I'm attempting here to demonstrate the elemental matrix that the core power cell for life in your plant is built. If you can see the N, Mg and O2 components as well as the massive need for Carbon, which is the one resource usually overlooked and supplied via self-regulating somatic compensation, I think you'll see it in its simplist form. I'm just looking at methods of busting up the blocks of matter so the plant can put them together with the most ease and efficency.

I'm attempting to feed, or more Inject, the tissues of this plant with the core building blocks in the most efficient and rapid method-utilizing sub aquatic Carbon loading rather than atmospheric, as well as aeroponic respiration at the root level via O2 infusion and chemical and mechanical molecular recombination. Sort of breathing in liquid state. The color issue actually dives even deeper into the influence of particle wave energy states via white light agitation, but that isn't necessary to drag anyone through at this point. Its just my understanding of it on a quantum level. I can see the Æromatrix like a complex puzzle, but the puzzle is solved in my head, its just getting it out so others can digest it that is sometimes hard. Birth pains, you'll have to forgive me.


As an example:

The actual chemical equation which takes place is the reaction between carbon dioxide and water, catalysed by sunlight, to produce glucose and a waste product, oxygen. The glucose sugar is either directly used as an energy source by the plant for metabolism or growth, or is polymerised to form starch, so it can be stored until needed. The waste oxygen is excreted into the atmosphere, where it is made use of by plants and animals for respiration.



Looks simple don't it? Most these systems have the O2 have the H2O but only limited Co2 absobtion, which in water would be more saturated and available I would think. So, cycle respiriation like aeroponic, but using Co2 and O2 in place of pure O2 in mechanical formed microdroplets. Let her boil in free exchange of pure elements.

oooh... ohhh geek stuff!! Im in, Im in!!!

Interesting theory, Im gonna stick around for this discussion!!

The only problem is I don't have a Co2 canister, or any method of Co2 injection at this point. I have to solve that I suppose. Step one, get the material needed.
This might be possible in a continuous looping cycle, which making a perfect circle would be the ideal state.

I'm thinking you could control the Co2 infusion via Ph monitor. Where as when the Ph rose above 6.0 the meter would trip a solenoid valve to reduce the Ph to 5.6 or even lower say 4.6 using Co2 infused in the water. Upon completion of this cycle an infusion of O2 (or just compressed air) :



Where you see nutrients already exists in abundance untapped. The only lacking element here is Carbon the 47% of the plant. So as the O2 level elevates the Ph again while the plant absorbs all the nutrients in a range from 4.6 to 6.0 within a period of its dictation, via ph balance. The rig should, in theory (again) provide almost a 600% increase in carbon availability as well as nutrient uptake. Hormones would most likely be necessary as well as a religious (meaning adhered too and practiced) foliar feeding schedule, as I would think the growth acceleration would be phenomenal. Now, lets test this bitch out. Shall we.


The Golden KEY here being an INFUSION not just bubbling. I think it would take a high pressure blast, thoroughly carbonating the water for a brief moment very percise, like that of aeroponics, to break up the Hydrogen and Oxygen bonds and make them readily available to the carbon ions for assimilation into a complex sugar or protein.

Assimilation (biology), the conversion of nutrient into the fluid or solid substance of the body, by the processes of digestion and absorption. Your stomach acid does the same thing, but we don't use Mg as our binder to life, we use Phosphorus. Did you know there was a lb. of Phosphorus in the human body? Isn't wild.


Light Reaction
Photosynthesis is the process of turning the energy of sunlight into chemical energy from the raw products of CO2 and H2O. This process is necessary to sustain nearly all forms of life. Photosynthesis is divided in to two separate reactions known as the light and dark reactions. They take place when light is present but the dark reaction does not require light. The whole process is begun by light reacting with pigments in the leaf causing the splitting of water molecules. This is called photolysis or the Hill Reaction which is not completely understood. Three products are produced in this reaction. Electrons from the hydrogen molecules and remaining H+ ions are used to form two separate energy storage molecules. The air we breath is from the remaining oxygen portion of H2O. The carbon dioxide molecules are transformed into sugars during the dark reaction using the energy that was formed during the light reaction.


Dark Reaction
This part of the photosynthetic process is also called the Calvin Cycle. With one cycle of this reaction 3 carbon atoms are fixed or placed in a sugar molecule. This pathway is called C-3 photosynthesis. This is the way that most dicots or broadleaf plants make sugars during the dark reaction. C-3 photosynthesis has a disadvantage though. Oxygen competes with CO 2 for a binding site during the dark reaction. Sometimes sugars are not formed, but energy is still expended to complete the cycle. This is called photorespiration

photodissociation
(physical chemistry) The removal of one or more atoms from a molecule by the absorption of a quantum of electromagnetic energy.

Just an interesting fact: Although not a direct component in photosynthesis, temperature is an important factor. Photosynthesis occurs at its highest rate in the temperature range of 65° to 85°F (18° to 27°C) and decreases when temperatures are above or below this range.

thanks, pod racer!

thanks, pod racer!

cool...i wasn't trying to be an ass..

keep teachin'!

No worries M8, just had my share of trollers here, don't want to start off on the wrong foot again, got too many people to answer too. Now I must let my brain stop smokin' my hairs gonna catch on fire if I don't simmer down here. :wink:

Pod Racer....... a question and point at the same time...

Pod Racer....... a question and point at the same time...

CO2 when inside the human body is an acid. I know you knew that but some may not. When a patient "Cors" or suddenly die. The reason they are ventilated manually is to a lesser extent to get oxygen flowing in the body and feed the brain to limit anoxic damage but more important or as important is to blow of the CO2 that builds up in he cells. This is that "intracellular acidosis" I was speaking of before. When the cell does not have oxygen it goes into anaerobic respiration and build up lactic acid, which usually turns into CO2 and is blown off by the lungs.

If the root area is exposed to an atmosphere of high concentration of CO2, the tendency will be for the CO2 to diffuse across the membrane from a higher concentration to a lower concentration in the cell. This could cause intracellular acidosis. In Cors, medications do not work at a certain point because most of their effects are upon the movement of cations and anions across the cell membrane. The Concentration of CO2 in the cell causes this acidosis and may..... now remember I said may.... do the same thing to the plants cells and the cations and anions (nutrients). Just some application of the human body to the plant body and may not apply but does in theory.

Just thoughts.

Peace

My guess is that since this is such an obvious and simple thing to do, it would have been done 100 years ago and become common practice if there was a benefit in hydroponics.

Anyone want to dunk the Co2 output into the res??? You go first!

PR, when's the experiment begin?

Only one way to find out.

Yes Blind Date - I owe you an apology. I did appear to have overreacted in this post. I took personal insult to your cynical tone, I had also just witnessed some of the most horrific examples of self-delusion and ignorance I have ever could have imagined, and subsequently transferred the majority of an attack towards you unknowingly.
Most of that rant was directed towards something unrelated and apparently missed by 99% of the world - I am just a witness to the events that unfold, my job is only to aid in enlightenment and nurture health and learning. Therefore, please accept my public apology for flying off the handle at you I would like to erase that inflammatory event, as it benefits no one.

Pod Racer

Yes Blind one, it would seem that way wouldn't it? But then again, as James Cameron just pointed out, it might have been sitting right under your feet the entire time. You were just ignorant and didn't understand what you were looking at until someone comes along and spells it out for you to such an extent that you can not deny the truth.

The answers are obvious, that is why it only took me 15 minutes to see that every aeroponic system built on OG wasn't aeroponic nor was it working and why. I can shed my vanity and ego to see the truth as it is, and can only speak the truth as it exists objectively. How others try to remain ignorant or self agrandizing, is not my problem or job. Mine is merely to expose the truth and ask others to make their own conclusions. To me, unmired by ignorance or pride, see it clear as the brightest day. There are few questions other than how to or how can.

Click to expand...

Blind one???? I see no reason to be insulting. I am only pointing out an obvious conclusion. I don't think that every hydroponic grower both professional and hobbyist in the world is "ignorant and didn't understand what you were looking at". I'm certain that this experiment will be the 9,999,999,999 th time the wheel was reinvented given it's simplicity.

Also, high pressure aero was around OG long before your threads. It was well known but simply unpopular because of cost and complexity.