Supplying CO2 for greenhouses may lead to local variations in CO2 concentration throughout the greenhouse, because the concentration declines from source to sink. Horizontal and vertical gradients in environmental conditions are disadvantageous, but inevitable. The most important thing is to prevent a decrease in the homogeneity of plant growth and crop production.
Greenhouse CO2 Distribution system
In a distribution network, a high CO2 concentration is found near the distribution pipes and a low level near the ridge, or near the open ventilation windows. In Dutch greenhouses, the distribution lines of CO2 are placed underneath the growing gutter, near the crops. With the natural diffusion of the carbon dioxide to the top of the greenhouse, the plants are sure to benefit from the CO2 enrichment.
The most common method of CO2 enrichment for greenhouse application is the combustion of fossil fuel. The flue gases used must not contain dangerous amounts of harmful components. Therefore, the most used fuel for CO2 enrichment in Dutch greenhouses is natural gas. With the combustion of 1 m3 of natural gas, approximately 1.8 kg CO2 is generated.
Sustainable Investments
As part of the carbon cycle, all food we eat contains carbon. Even by enriching with CO2, cultivation in greenhouses can be far more sustainable by reducing foodmiles. The projects we do with GrowingDutch are a great example for this. These are DutchGreenhouses' projects, where GrowingDutch and GreenhouseCoach work together in sustainable developments.
