Cost effective carbon capture and re-use system for sustainable farming

Lead Applicant: Wael Ahmed

Research Priority: Competitive Production Systems

Program Type: Tier 1

Funding Cycle: 2024/2025

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Currently, some greenhouse producers use their natural gas boilers during the day to recycle the CO2 from the flue gases to enrich the growing environment when photosynthesis is occurring. However, full utilization of produced CO2 is not possible if the hot water tank reaches capacity, or if the boilers are operated during the night. In this project, an innovative system for capturing, storing and reusing CO2 will be designed, commissioned and tested to enhance sustainability and reduce emissions from greenhouses. Unlike existing CO2-capture technologies, the proposed system is low-cost and adaptable. It will capture the CO2 from flue gases and store them in water for later use to enrich the growing environment. This will allow greenhouse producers to store the heat and CO2 generated, and to use CO2-infused water to enrich their greenhouses. This could include misting the plants from above and/or dosing fertigation in the root zone.