Abstract
A novel, optimized, polysaccharide and biochar-based, compostable hydrogel horticultural growing substrate for use in hydroponics and vertical farming was created based upon empirical methods and statistical design of experiments. A 15-run D-optimal mixture design of experiments was completed that increased the 14-day plant growing ability of a five-component hydrogel nearly ten-fold from 4.3695 g to 41.2623 g per 100 plants. The data were analyzed using a standard least squares method with an effect screening emphasis, and a model was created that maximized the signal to noise ratio. There was a good correlation between the measured and predicted values of the model, with an r-squared value of 0.90. The predictions of efficacy and compostability were confirmed with subsequent experiments that showed the hydrogel was composted in less than 84 days and that the plant growth predicted by the model differed from the experimental growth by 0.65%. The resulting optimized formulation had a high fertilizer content for a growth medium. We therefore suggest that an empirical approach to formulation research can produce superior outcomes with a statistically designed study.