Plant Power against Power Plants! : Mitigating Carbon Dioxide Emissions through Carbon Capture

 By: Reynaldo Gonzalez

Image depicts a vertical plant factory, a facility which is designed with the purpose of creating an area that performs carbon sequestration. (Source Vertical Farming by BIOPOLUS https://www.biopolus.net/technology/vertical-farming/)

 

        Carbon capture through vertical plant factories is a method of mitigating the levels of carbon dioxide emissions of industries (Chen, et al. 2024). In this study, there is an assessment of the carbon sequestration capabilities of the Pennisetum giganteum, specifically by placing this plant factory in an industrial park, an area with heavy CO2 exhaust levels, and performing a "Life Cycle Assessment".

        The findings showed that the plant factory's own carbon emissions were mainly from the heavy consumption of electricity for the constant lighting for plant growth. In order to accommodate for maximum efficiency, renewable energy and reclaimed water were used so as to have the most sustainable method of production. In addition, P. giganteum is the organism of choice for this task since it has a rapid growth rate, easily met requirements for cultivation, and has great carbon sequestration capacity (Chen, et al. 2024). In the end, the results showed that a plant factory of dimensions 3 m x 6 m x 2.8 m can be used to cultivate 2160 kg of P. giganteum annually and have a reduction carbon emissions by 56% compared to that of an open-field cultivation and the expansion of these plants can essentially neutralize carbon emissions of industrial parks completely (Chen, et al. 2024).

        This article showcases advancements in environmental sustainability by allowing for the reduction in impact of large industries to the atmosphere. However, as mentioned earlier, this practice is very demanding in terms of electricity and water, and can be contributing to more damage than helping at all, if done incorrectly. Overall though, this study highlights the potential of a bio-based carbon capture facility that can aid in the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions of large industrial companies.

 

Chen H,  Dong X,  Lei J, Zhang N, Wang Q, Shi Z, Yang J. 2024. Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Capture by an Intelligent Vertical Plant Factory within an Industrial Park. Sustainability. 16(2):697