Aquastor, A Project to Stop Desertification

Graduated from Parsons School of Design, Zihao Fang has designed Aquastor, a biodegradable vessel created with local resources and developed to combat desertification. The project is inspired by research from Princeton University, which shows how termite mounds can prevent fertile land from degrading by storing moisture and nutrients in their underground tunnels. To create these mounds, termites artfully mix inorganic particles with organic materials, a blending that helps the soil retain nutrients and resist erosion.

Inspired by this research, Zihao created Aquastor, a vessel made from a mixture of sand, stone, and clay, combined with leaf litter and discarded exoskeletons. Its hollow inner structure resembles a jujube kernel, featuring a thin upper part and a thicker lower part, which is buried below ground level. This design leverages the temperature difference between the surface and the underground structure to generate air pressure variations, creating thermal circulation and accumulating moisture. Over time, the vessel decomposes, enriching the soil with nutrients. According to the designer, Aquastor is a low-cost, low-tech solution to combat desertification and support reforestation in arid regions. These territories make up 40% of the Earth's total land area and are increasingly threatened by desertification.

Practices such as intensive agriculture, livestock farming, and deforestation, combined with global warming and extreme weather phenomena, deplete nutrient-rich soil, making it increasingly vulnerable to erosion. Arid soil lacks essential components needed to sustain life, and its inability to retain water can lead to extreme events such as floods and landslides. Aquastor was created to address these challenges.

Thanks to its cavities and micropores, the material stores water and humidity before they evaporate. In this way, the vessel nourishes the soil and restores its vitality. According to the designer, the degradation time of Aquastor will vary depending on the region, but desertification in the area is expected to improve before the protective belt fully decomposes. Each Aquastor vessel measures 45 × 45 × 48 cm, weighs almost 2 kg, and features a nutrient-rich structure with a thickness of 6 cm. The vessels are placed 1 meter apart to form a protective belt. Zihao tested the first prototype near the Taklamakan Desert in northwest China, using locally sourced materials.

Taking inspiration from termite mounds, Aquastor is designed to store moisture, provide nutrients, and support the development of more fertile soils. This is not just an innovative example of biomimicry, but a fundamental solution for large-scale reforestation projects, which currently lack sustainable methods for water and nutrient supply. To learn more, visit Zihao Fang’s website!