to tackle the climate crisis, we sometimes wish for huge co2 reservoirs.
but the thing is, they do already exist; wetlands. they can store twice as much co2 as all the forests put together, but throughout the years humans drained 95% of wetlands in order to mine peat and use it as soil to grow vegtables on. there is a quite simple solution;
paludiculture (wet agriculture) of peat moss, a renewable substitute for peat. and this is where peet comes in: the autonomous farming robot for peat moss.
Cross-border/international
Germany
Germany
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
human have drained wetlands over decades. what some years ago was declared as a genius idea became one the biggest threat: huge emissions of greenhouse gases. over the years, peatlands store carbon dioxide simply because the water prevents the decomposition of organic material. just 3% of the world's land area is covered by peatlands but they can store twice as much carbon dioxide as all forests combined. however, more than 95% have been drained to either obtain energy from the peat though burning or, as the majority of the mined peat, is added to potting- and plant soil to create optimal growing conditions for, among other things, vegetables. but peat is a non-renewable resource and the peat mining emit quantities of greenhouse gases that were previously stored. fortunately, however, there is a solution: paludiculture of peat moss.
paludiculture is a wet cultivation of agricultural land, and peat moss is a naturally occurring moss species on peatlands that has the same properties as peat and would be a renewable substitute for peat in the plant soil. to make this work and even more, to make this attractive for landowners such as farmers, we need new innovative technologies. and this is where peet comes in, an visionary concept for an autonomous farming robot for peat moss. the cultivation brings new tasks and requirements for the farming machine. small, light harvesting units are needed that can operate on the unstable ground and at the same time harvest and transport the heavy moss that is filled with water.
peet has four perforated and flexible chains that are vertically movable and can rotate around their axis. the moss is gently pressed down, while the water passes through the perforated chains and distribute the pressure evenly. a rotating harvest basket dries the moss as it is harvested. by this, all insects and other small plants are automatically sorted out and return to the field.
sustainability
wetlands
paludiculture
visionary
robot
the main and most important goal of the project peet is of course to make rewetting of drained peatlands attractive. we need to question conventional systems. how can we use natural recourses without harming nature and ecosystems? we must learn to play the melody of nature and meet the existing conditions.
the rewetting of drained peatlands for paludiclture of peat moss would reduce or stop the greenhouse gas emissions from the ground. only a wet bog is climate neutral or climate positive, while a drained bog damages the climate because the dead plants are decomposed when they are in contact with oxygen. the project peet shows how the first farming machine for this purpose could look like.
paludiculture bring back important habitat for many threatened species, but producing paludiculture alone is not enough to preserve habitat. as peat moss is a slow growing plant, scientist from the greifswald moor centrum in germany (that have supported the project through interviews and background information) expect a harvest every third year. therefore, the peet project envisions mosaic fields that are in staggered cycles. this way, wildlife habitat is not destroyed in one harvest.
furthermore, peet has a perforated, rotating harvest basket. water, insects and other small plants are automatically sorted out and return directly to the field and are not removed with the harvest.
wetland is an important, natural flood protection. it functions like a buffer and can absorb enormous amounts of water and also release it again during dry periods.
the robot itself is designed for longevity. the universal adapter allows any tool to be picked up for the different tasks such as sowing, mowing weeds, cleaning ditches and harvesting. just one driving unit is needed for all tasks. in addition, the universal adapter arm prepares peet for the future; if new technology is available, peet can still be used by simply adapting new tools. the complete robot does not become obsolete.
peet contrasts the conventional agricultural machinery. instead of being heavy, big and strong, it is intended to appear light. instead of fast cultivation, a harvest every third year requires patient and a new kind of slow farming. instead of a large loading volume, the autonomous robot only needs a small harvesting basket that is changed automatically when needed. in addition, the wet ground and the wet, heavy harvest pose very specific demands on the design. the hole pattern is a recurring element at peet, it allows the water to pass at the same time as it aesthetically emphasizes the lightweight construction.
the general structure of peet should be easy to understand. the robot has a clear division into different units: the drive with the four chains, the harvesting- or seed basket in between, and a technical platform above that protects all the technical components and batteries.
the design of peet has dealt intensively with the topic of autonomous driving. autonomous vehicles open up new design fields, vehicles will be directionless; no driver will need a front to look out of. peet has taken advantage of this situation: the symetric form allows tools both to be pushed in front or to be pulled behind the robot, depending on the needs. people who encounter peet should still have a safe feeling and receive exactly the same information as in an encounter with a non-autonomous vehicle. for this reason, two light strips are installed that shine white or red depending on the direction of travel. peet uses an already established communication from the traffic context.
the project peet mainly addresses farmers.
paludiculture of peat moss already exists today on various experimental fields. however, since there are no agricultural machines that can drive onto peatlands, driving dams are built that are not drained. this, however, means that important cultivation ground is not sufficiently utilized as well as the dams continue to emit carbon dioxide.
farmers who cultivate paludiculture of reed often use converted snow groomers. this is associated with great personal danger because, especially with heavy machines, there is always the danger of breaking through the moor.
peet addresses both problems and offers significant improvements and modern alternatives for farmers. due to its lightweight construction, peet can drive itself on the moor and the land can be used to the maximum. no human being is endangered, thus the robot moving autonomously.
furthermore, peet is a small robot. since it can operate autonomously, the working time has to be seen in a new context, the user is not affected to the same degree. the small units are associated with lower costs and are therefor flexible in expansion; this also leads to farmers having an easier transition from conventional agriculture to paludiculture.
it is also worth mentioning that through the project peet, the need for "good" soil is still met. it should be in the interest of the producers of plant soil to be able to replace the harmful peat with the renewable, sustainable peat moss.
in a long term perspective, the implementation of the project peet is in everyones interest. it is a comparatively easy way to solve several problems of our time. it reduces the greenhouse gas emissions, is a natural flood protection, increases the biodiversity and substitutes the nonrenewable peat.
we must expect to be confronted with more extreme weather in the future. long periods of rain, hot temperatures and strong winds. wetlands can greatly stabilize a climate. due to their ability to absorb a lot of water, peatlands function like a large sponge during periods of rainfall. during drought or heat, peatlands release the water again, thus reducing the risk of fires. being able to cultivate paludicultures in a large scale by using peet would bring many benefits.
to have electrified vehicles harvesting peat moss also reduces the pollutants and noice in the nearest surrounding. peet has battery unites that can be either charged with a cable when needed or for a quicker refueling just be exchanged to already fully charged batteries.
additionally, the cultivation of peat moss does not require chemical pesticides or fertilizers. only fragments of moss are needed for sowing. the required transports are thus reduced by the fact that the seed is simply a part of the already harvested moss.
protection of peatlands is increasingly being promoted and demanded. globally, it is an important and effective way of counteracting climate change and stabilizing the local climate.
as an elementary component of the eu green deal, it sets binding targets for the restoration of ecosystems, among other things peatlands. the european commission is thus strongly emphasizing nature-based actions such as peatland protection as a way to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis that is proceeding quickly. a draft law from the eu commission aims to rewet 30% of the peatlands drained for agriculture by 2023 (european commission, 22.06.2022).
in germany, there are large pilot projects and projects for the regeneration of drained wetlands being carried out by the federal environment agency. the federal ministry for the environment allocated large sums of money for this very purpose at the beginning of 2022 (bmuv, 18.01.2022).
however, the targets are in conflict with local landowners and farmers. from today's point of view, lands can no longer be farmed in a wet condition and sources of income will be lost.
peet, however, combines the two worlds and makes rewetting and agricultural use possible at the same time. by using peet, farmers can grow peat moss in paludiculture and continue to use the land.
in order to carry out the project as realistically and correctly as possible within the conceptual framework, close contact with experts was of great importance. support from researchers at the greifswald moor centrum have provided important insights. growth cycles, harvesting techniques and processing of peat moss have already been evaluated on trial fields. in interviews, painpoints of peat moss cultivation have emerged which have been addressed in the project.
farmers were involved in the research phase. interviews with mainly reed growers have shown that the work involves heavy physical labor. the converted snow cats are often unreliable and break through the bog easily. in addition, there is the heavy, waterlogged harvest that has to be collected by hand. findings from this area of paludiculture have been transferred to the cultivation of peat moss.
experience from previous work at the fraunhofer institute on agricultural robots has simplified the work in terms of the technologies and softwares to be used.
peet is a innovative, yet realistic concept for paludiculture machinery. it is one of the first concepts for a professional farming machine for peat moss.
peet is supposed to show possibilities and fields of action. therefore, it was a balancing act between a realistic and innovative project. many analogies from other areas were analyzed and transferred. already existing concepts were modified, adapted and used in a new way. among other things, this is how the innovative chains were created. snowshoes were used as inspiration and the principle was applied for peet; perforation in the chains to reduce weight and to allow water to penetrate to reduce the pressure on the moss.
the principle of the harvesting basket has also been verified in experiments. in tests the moss was dried in different ways and it turned out that a salad spinner was an effective way to remove the water without damaging the moss. the harvest basket ended up looking and working like a huge salad spinner.
it can therefore be said, that the innovative character of the peet project relates to the way in which already functioning principles have been used in a new way.
the great advantage of peet is the flexibility that plays an essential part in the design. in order to keep the effort low and to design in a resource-saving way, it is necessary to think in terms of coherent systems. due to the universal adapter arm, it is also conceivable to attach other tools. this would open up even more fields of action with the same basic principle. peet could also be used for reed harvesting or for general data acquisition on peatlands. the perforated and flexible chains allows peet to be used on any wetland and due to its small size, it can move in different terrains.
it is also possible to adapt aspects of the project in other areas of conventional agriculture. here, the smaller harvesting units play a particularly important role. this can prevent soil compaction, which impairs the storage and conduction of water as well as oxygen, nutrients and pollutants. in addition, mosaic fields can also be used in other crops. if the plants are sown and harvested at different times, this ensures that living organisms have sufficient time to develop new habitats after harvesting.
the technology envisaged for peet already exists today. autonomous driving with the aid of cameras and lidar sensors is already being used in many ways. in this aspect, peet benefits from tests and learnings that have already been carried out.
the peet project was developed as a semester project in southern germany. of course, it is not geographically limited and could be used on all wetlands world wide.
"addressing global challenges by providing local solutions" could actually be a very nice subtitle for peet ;-)
the peet project has enormous potential. it is about finding local solutions for our drained peatlands to counteract global climate change.
the project is about farmers who need to rewet their drained farmland and at the same time, be able to continue to practice their learned profession. furthermore, the world needs a substrate for vegetable and plant soil with the same qualities as the current used peat: high water and air capacity, low ph value so that high ph values are balanced in the mixture, low nutrient content so that soil mixture can be specifically adapted to the needs of the plants through fertilization, free from pollutants, pathogens and weed seeds and a low weight.
the good thing is: the solution is already at hand: paludiculture of peat moss.
to make this feasible, we need new landmachines that are designed for exactly this purpose. we need machines that can drive on the wetlands, is able to carry out the upcoming tasks of sowing, mowing, cleaning the ditches to regulate the water level and harvesting. so far, peet is just a vision. but what if a prototype could actually be built and tested? what if it would actually be used?
then, there would be an honest chance of rewetting 30% of the drained peatlands by 2030.
