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Using Biocyclers in connection with greenhouses is from a climate perspective the best use of the technology at all. And at the same time use in greenhouses potentially gives the best return on investment. This is due to the Biocycler’s potential to make greenhouses CO₂-neutral without driving costs.

But greenhouse production equals large-scale production. And honestly; the Biocyclers we have available now are far from large enough to be usable in greenhouse production. It is possible though to scale the technology for large scale use. All together a plant that can deliver the heat and CO2 stream needed in a modern greenhouse would be sized somewhat like a farm scale biogas plant but built from a series of Biocyclers where each Biocycler is of the same kind as the existing model – just scaled in size 10, 15 or 20 times and with many units connected in a parallel fashion. In this way each unit can be considered a cell which can be activated or stopped according to the current need for heat or CO₂.

All outputs from a Biocycler may be used directly in greenhouse production. Heat, CO₂, water, nitrogen fertilizer and compost. By connecting the Biocyclers to an existing ventilation system, watering system and buffertanks for heat and dimensioning the Biocyclers correctly, the consumption of natural gas or other sources of energy can be eliminated.

The amount of nitrogen fertilizer and compost produced in a Biocycler plant which is fitted to meet the energy need in a greenhouse is many times higher than the need for fertilizer in the greenhouse crops. Full scale Biocycler plants for greenhouses thus will imply cooperation with farmers or/and e.g. municipalities for deliveries of biomass in the form of animal manure, household waste, garden trimmings, sludge, or fibers from biogas plants for use in the Biocycler plant. In the Biocyclers, the biomass is upgraded to high quality soil improving compost and fertilizer which is returned to the farms.

Planning and infrastructure are key words associated with supplying energy for greenhouses with Biocyclers. In itself, this is a big task, but a task with a large potential. So is the task of ripening the technology for the greenhouses. If you are a greenhouse grower and would like to know more about the potential of Biocyclers, please feel free to call Pia Folkmann for more information:   +45 6154 8666.