Designing water micro-drainage systems taking plant roots as an example

The mechanism that plant roots use to take up water and mineral substances has been studied for centuries. The fact that new data is still emerging is a testament to how unique plant roots are. Increasing water problems need newly developed, nature-inspired, proven solution models. In recent years, many biomimetic studies have been used in projects such as water collection, water purification or underground water extraction models. Within the scope of this test, the root and stem anatomy of 10 plants selected according to their habitats were examined. After the cross-sections of the plants were scanned by light microscopy and SEM electron microscopy, a micro drainage material for capillary water transport was designed from the data obtained.The proposed design was simulated in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program. Within the scope of the thesis, the aquatic plants Nasturtium officinale (watercress), Egeria densa (Elodea), Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Hygrophila corymbosa, Hygrophila polysperma; orchid (Phalaenopsis cultivars), an epiphyte plant, to examine aerial roots; Ferocactus glaucescens (cactus) and Salvia officinalis (sage), which are plants of arid and semi-arid regions; Polypodium vulgare (mole fern), and Davallia denticulata (rabbit's foot fern), which are primitive vascular plants, were examined. In the design of this proposed micro-sized water conduction module, the porosity of the velamen radicum layer of orchid roots, the thickness of the caspari banded endodermis layer of cactus roots, and the xylem anatomical features of ferns and aquatic plants that manage capillary pressure well were utilized. Modeling of the material and calculation of fluid performed with the advanced engineering program ANSYS Fluent. The layered module designed for calculations was considered in two parts. First, the water flow through the porous layer, where water is taken in by microfiltration, was calculated. Then, the obtained data were used to calculate the fluid dynamics in the xylem-like channel responsible for water transport. According to the simulation, the geometrical features of the xylem canal passages increased the kinetic energy of turbulence as water entered the pipe. The biosimilar capillarity proposed in the material design was observed to increase the fluid velocity at the outlet, possibly due to reduced cavitation. In conclusion, it can be concluded that this kind of water conveyance material inspired by plant water transport systems can save energy for water transfer at the micro-scale.