Design, Construct, and Test a Table-Top Hydroponics System

ABSTRACT This research develops and rigorously evaluates a power-optimized tabletop hydroponic system, addressing critical food security challenges in regions with unreliable electricity, such as Nigeria. The system employs a hand-operated PVC pump designed to minimize energy requirements, alongside a modular configuration for efficient indoor cultivation, making it ideal for urban agricultural applications. The study combines simulation and experimental testing to comprehensively assess system performance, focusing on water delivery metrics, flow rate precision, and overall energy efficiency. This performance validates the system’s robustness and reliability for small-scale hydroponics, even in regions with limited electrical infrastructure. The system utilizes a hand-operated PVC pump, achieving an average flow rate of 5.2 and 4.9 liters per minute across two rounds of practical testing, closely aligning with the theoretical flow rate of 5.32 liters per minute. This minor variance, attributed to frictional losses and component tolerances in the rubber gasket, underscores the system’s robustness for low-power hydroponics. Simulations verified the system’s capability to lift water up to 6.71 meters, validating its operational viability. Through a modular design, the hydroponics setup minimizes energy requirements while maximizing resource efficiency, particularly in water and nutrient delivery. This approach supports continuous nutrient circulation and optimized oxygenation for plant roots, proving suitable for small-scale urban agriculture. Key findings emphasize the need for further material improvements, such as enhanced gasket materials for reducing frictional losses and alternative pump designs, potentially gravity-fed systems or low-power DC pumps, to minimize manual operation. The study concludes that the proposed hydroponic system offers a technically robust, low-cost, and sustainable solution for addressing food security and urban agriculture challenges. Its modular design allows for adaptability in diverse environments, positioning this system as a scalable model for improving local food self-sufficiency, reducing reliance on traditional agricultural practices, and promoting energy-efficient farming solutions in regions with unreliable electricity infrastructure.