NUPONIX IN THE LOOP

IS HYDROPONICS A FORGOTTEN TECHNOLOGY?

Not at all, Kevin Wright is quick to say. The technique of growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution has been thriving quietly in the realm of niche applications, such as in-home projects and in laboratories to grow things like bacteria and algae.

But what we’re really talking about here is hydroponics combined with aquaculture, the raising of fish and aquatic plants, to become aquaponics.

Wright is taking the hybrid in new, and intentionally controversial directions.

“In terms of growing vegetables or other food, it’s never taken off because it’s hard to do at a large scale and requires a lot of labor-intensive, daily testing to keep the system healthy. And until now, a lot of the tech was not available to automate the work that goes into it.”

An investment advisor by trade, Wright saw the immense potential in innovatively tweaking a proven, organic process to level it up to a profitable business model.

Gathering experts as consultants, he launched Nuponix in 2019 to move aquaponics into the realm of scalability. These aren’t just any experts. One of his chief science officers is Dr. James Rakocy, who pioneered aquaponics in the late 1970s while working on his PhD at Auburn University. He created a symbiotic ecosystem where waste excreted by fish was absorbed by nitrogen- and phosphorus-loving plants, which resulted in filtered water to send back to tanks, keeping the fish healthy.

Separately, either process is much more intense. Fish farms need to filter water to avoid toxicity. In hydroponic systems, plant roots sit in water, which needs to be supplemented with nutrients they would normally take from soil. Combining them simulates what happens in a healthy ocean or freshwater ecosystem. A controlled environment adds the benefits of higher quality and easy harvesting.

For the past 30 years, Dr. Rakocy has been working with a team to perfect a commercially viable system, and now heads a consultancy, The Aquaponics Doctor.

The goal of data-driven laboratories at Nuponix is to advance aquaponic plant and food production. An ongoing collaboration with Cornell University, which has the largest agricultural program in the U.S., provides solid research on which to base its work in its 40,000-square-foot grow facility in nearby Romulus, New York, and at a 12,000-square foot test lab in Valliant, Oklahoma.

Wright is doing his own pioneering, entering the commercial aquaponics landscape with the most high-profile product he can think of - cannabis.

And not just for medical use.

Across the U.S., a majority of states have legalized medical THC, and about half have added recreational use. Budget crunches have prompted a scramble for the tax income the industry generates and federal legalization is predicted within a couple of years. New York State, for instance, added …