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Solar greenhouses can be promising candidate for CO2 capture and utilization: mathematical modeling

Research Abstract
Solar greenhouses can be considered as efficient places for biological CO2 capture and utilization if CO2 enrichment becomes a common practice there. As CO2 enrichment is applied only when greenhouses are closed, ventilated greenhouses - which represent a large percentage of greenhouses all over the world - cannot be considered for this practice, consequently cannot be available for CO2 capture and utilization. The aim this paper is to show-through modeling and simulation-that these ventilated greenhouses can be activated for serving as efficient CO2 capture and utilization places if they are kept closed (to apply CO2 enrichment) and used microclimate control methods alternative to ventilation. The paper introduces a realistic mathematical model in which all the processes and phenomena associated with the biological CO2 capture and utilization by photosynthesis inside greenhouses are considered. The model considers solar radiation attenuation through the atmosphere and absorption by the greenhouse components. It also accounts for the estimation of radiative heat exchange between the various surfaces inside the greenhouse. The realistic photosynthesis sub model selected in the present work is a mechanistic one applicable to the commonly planted C3 species. The model also provides a strategy for CO2 enrichment and microclimate control. In these strategies, the CO2 injection specific rate for enriching the greenhouse air to a specific concentration, and the cooling and dehumidification specific rates required to be keep the microclimate temperature and relative humidity within the favorable limits, are estimated. The model validity and accuracy were ensured through the good agreement of its numerical predictions with the available experimental results in the literature. The effect of different environmental conditions and planting conditions on the CO2 capturing process (the photosynthesis process) is investigated. Finally, a case study was chosen to investigate the effects of the cooling method, cooling temperature, planting conditions, and CO2 concentration level on the cumulative amount of captured CO2 considered to represent the greenhouse capturing performance. The results show that the capturing performance of greenhouse can be enhanced from value as low as 1.0 g CO2/m 2.day for ventilated greenhouses to value as high as 52 g CO2/m 2.day when alternative microclimate control methods and CO2 enrichment are used. In addition, the greenhouse has extended ability to capture as high as 140 g CO2/m2.day within its growing period considering the appropriate plant type. Furthermore, additional benefits besides CO2 capture are reported for the possible increase of the plant productivity and possible lowering of water consumption by plants.
Research Authors
Mohammed B. Effat, Hamdy M. Shafey, A. M. Nassib
Research Journal
International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering
Research Publisher
Springer Open Access
Research Rank
1
Research Year
2015