Recycling plastics to crop vegetables in seawater

Abstract

The objective of the study was the design of a floating container for growing edible plants in the sea. The elements necessary for growing plants in the sea at low cost would be a solar still for producing freshwater, a pot or container plant breeding and a flotation system. To perform the functions of solar still and pot, different plastic bottles for packaging carbonated beverages, oil and water were used. With two bottles cut at their base and inserted into each other and a piece of iron polyurethane as floating system, it was possible to build a small solar greenhouse and use seawater to grow some man edible plants such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). With a suitable design of the bottles (Mushroom-shaped), it would be possible to remove the floating system needed. The device can be used to recycle plastics and produce some green crops and food at low cost using seawater in an ecological and sustainable way.