Technology uses biomass emissions as greenhouse plant fertilizer

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Luke Geiver
April 26, 2012

ProSelect's technology allows bioenergy emissions to be reused as plant fertilizer.

ProSelect Gas Treating Inc. has released a carbon capture technology that can capture and repurpose flue gas emissions created in a biomass heating process. The system allows greenhouse operators to fertilize their fruits and vegetables with carbon dioxide captured from the biomass emissions.

The technology, called GC6, was officially unveiled at the SunSelect Produce greenhouses in Delta, British Columbia earlier this month. The system works by capturing the CO2 from the 14 MW Vyncke biomass boiler. The flue gas is filtered out and cooled before entering an absorber tower within the GC6 system. Using an organic solvent, the CO2 is stripped out of the gas stream and stored in a buffer tank, while the excess vapor is released into the atmosphere. When the greenhouse needs CO2 fertilizer, the solvent in the tank is heated and released into the greenhouse. A monitoring system oversees the CO2 stream entering the greenhouse, venting it out if a high level of pollutants are detected.

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