GE PUSHES DUAL PLANT FERTILIZATION-CO2 UTILIZATION TECHNOLOGY

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
10/5/12

GE is moving forward with a combined heat and power technology in the U.S. that can utilize captured CO2 on a smaller scale to fertilize plants. The company cut the ribbon on its first U.S. combined heat and power (CHP) greenhouse project this summer in southern California at a 125-acre glass-enclosed greenhouse owned by Houweling’s Tomatoes, one of the country’s largest growers. The project uses two GE natural gas engines, which in total provide 8.7 MW of electric power and 10.6 MW of thermal power for the greenhouse, and captures 21,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually to help boost the fertilization of hydroponic tomatoes grown there. When needed, the growers can take the captured CO2 and pipe it into the greenhouse to fertilize the plants during photosynthesis, which can help boost yields by as much as 20 to 30 percent, according to GE.

In an interview this week, Travis Dauwalter, business development leader for GE Gas Engines, said that the technology could be a good CO2 utilization option. “We’ve been engaging in CCUS before it became en vogue,” he said. “This is essentially CO2 on demand—the [technology] is not constantly scrubbing and flowing CO2 into the greenhouse. Instead, [customers can utilize] the CO2 only when the plants need it.” Dauwalter said the gas engines contain a capture component on the back end, where emissions are then treated to separate the CO2 from other byproducts such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The CO2 can then be piped into the greenhouse at will. “All we’re doing here is purifying the flow and dosing it into the greenhouse and letting the plants do their thing,” Dauwalter said.

First Application in the U.S.

Using high purity CO2 for the food and beverage industry—particularly for soft drink carbonation and food packaging—is one of the oldest and most widely used CO2 utilization techniques deployed. Dauwalter said that GE has more than 800 similar CHP units in operations globally, mostly in Europe where relatively high energy costs make the technology much more cost effective for greenhouse owners. “We have a lot of installations over in Europe, but this is the first one in the United States and we’re hoping that with this project being as large and as green as it is, that it will encourage more greenhouses to start engaging in these sorts of energy savings methodologies,” Dauwalter said.