Carbon capture from biomass flue gases for CO2 enrichment in greenhouses
J.V. Reinoso-Moreno, M.G. Pinna-Hernández, J.A. Sánchez-Molina, M.D. Fernández, Juan Carlos López Hernández, F.G. Acién
Abstract
Heating and CO 2 enrichment systems can improve yields in intensive greenhouse agriculture Combining both techniques, which are currently applied commercially, can potentially enhance their effect. The CO 2 must be separated from the other noxious gases present (such as CO, NO X , and SO 2 ) to avoid them becoming part of the supply. The CO 2 is then provided to the greenhouse on demand in the same way as the heating. In this work, we show that an improved food productivity of a pilot-scale greenhouse system combined with CO 2 capture by adsorption using activated carbon and heating with alternative fuel. The proposed system's overall performance was evaluated and optimized. The best values were 46.7 g/kg of CO 2 storage capacity on the adsorbent bed, 99.99 % removal rate harmful gases from the gas supplied to the greenhouse, CO 2 levels of 1851.0 ± 262.8 mg/Nm 3 of the CO 2 levels in the greenhouse, and an enrichment time of 2.18 ± 0.92 h/day. The system's effective performance over extended periods (November–February) was confirmed and the productivity of a crop species (tomato) was compared to a control, showing an increment of 18 %. The results indicate that this is a valuable option for increasing the crop yield. By integrating this combined system with advanced climate control strategies, it is possible to maximize the CO 2 provided per day, leading to higher yields. The system proved to be stable under real pilot-scale conditions over winter periods (four months).