How Greenhouses Can Use Carbon Capture to Improve Sustainability
May 9, 2024 According to Innovation Origins, greenhouses often rely on natural gas combustion for growth. However, carbon recaptured from the air has the potential be a sustainable alternative. The Netherlands is particularly interested in carbon capture as it pertains to horticulture and has even opened a dedicated research center for it.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) established the Innovation and Demonstration Center (IDC) to test the feasibility of carbon dioxide captured from the air in greenhouses. Six systems will be evaluated at the IDC until 2026, monitoring energy consumption and the quality of nutrient for plant nourishment.
One form of carbon capture, Direct Air Capture (DAC), uses large fans that pull air through filters that react with carbon dioxide, like amines and potassium carbonate. Then, the carbon dioxide binds to these filters and is later released.
The European Commission supports practices and technology that reduce emissions and recycle carbon dioxide. Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) offers a sustainable future for horticulture, as it presents a way to repurpose carbon dioxide emissions.
While carbon capture offers many eco-friendly benefits, it would require millions of DAC plants to make a substantial impact. But merely one DAC plant can remove carbon dioxide with ten thousand times less surface area than that required by forests.
As technology and CCU develop, the market for renewable fuels is expected to grow even more. Projects like this indicate how horticulture tends to rely on the relationship between sustainability and technology to move forward.