Does the input of external CO2 help reduce greenhouse horticulture CO2 emission in 2030? It does. That is the answer researchers from Wageningen University & Research gave in a recent study that researched the consequences of buying extra CO2 on the emissions of greenhouse horticulture in 2030. But, being a scientific study, it's bound to have a few 'buts'.
Two delivery options
And that makes sense. Not all growers use external CO2 the same way, and every situation is different. What everybody agrees on, though, is that using external CO2 is sustainable.
The researchers checked two delivery options, being 1) delivery throughout the year and 2) delivery in the second and third quarter of the year.
Summer
The biggest need for CO2 in horticulture is in the summer, when about 75% in the second and third quarter of the year are delivered on the total greenhouse horticulture use of external CO2.
Scenario 1: researchers estimate the global reduction of CO2 emission per delivered kilogram of CO2 to be 91%, being 0.91 kilograms per delivered kilogram of CO2.
Scenario 2: researchers estimate a reduction of 95%, being 0.95 kilograms per delivered kilogram of CO2.