Get fresh air, vegetables inside home

By He Yini in Hebei (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-04-14 15:28

Several sets of multi-layer equipment are demonstrated at an office within AOBO Group in Handan city, Hebei province, March 30, 2014. [Photo by He Yini / chinadaily.com.cn]

Remember how many times you have complained about the air quality or worried over food safety in China? Well, you can banish all those thoughts with a tailored plant factory in your own house - a futuristic practice that perfectly blends food and art while creating a natural oxygen bar at the same time.

Illegal GM crops destroyed in Hainan

Nitrogen oxide key to battling smog

"Such kind of family plant factory, with a smart system that controls plants' surroundings, including temperature and humidity, uses ecological light conversion glasses that are able to partially transform LED light and sunlight into blue and red lights," said Wang Baoan, founder and chairman of AOBO Group, a high-tech company that has turned the magic into a reality.

Blue and red lights, plants are more sensitive to them, can largely facilitate the process of photosynthesis, and plants can grow around-the-clock with an LED light source while releasing large amount of oxygen, he said.

"It largely shortens the growth cycle, reduces plant diseases as well as keeps insects and pests away, and improves the indoor air quality. More importantly, it's safe, energy-saving and environment-friendly," he added. "Other than that, the process is quite similar to regular soilless cultivation."

According to Wang, people can grow a variety of plants, such as vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers, in a multi-layer equipment structure of different designs.

The company plans to launch the factory within one or two years in the Chinese market, said Wang.

Output value of family plant factory equipment is expected to hit 15 billion yuan ($2.41 billion) by 2017, and that of LED ecological light conversion glass will reach 5 billion yuan by that time, he added.

Staff workers of AOBO Group are seen in the middle of manufacturing light-conversion glass at the company's plant in Handan city, Hebei province, March 30, 2014. [Photo by He Yini / chinadaily.com.cn]