- Researchers in Boston University classrooms used carbon dioxide from a hole in the ceiling to grow spinach four times larger and corn twice as large as a control group. obtained CO2.
- High temperatures near exhaust fans have boosted crop growth, especially corn.
- The researchers hope to create a system that will aid in future rooftop installations.
The CO2 air in crowded Boston University classrooms has recently been harnessed as fertilizer for rooftop gardens, according to a scientific study. Researchers used carbon 2 from emissions from university buildings to grow plants on BIG GRO's experimental rooftop garden, and in some cases saw that the spinach grew four times more than a nearby control group.
Sarabeth Buckley, currently at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study, said in a press release: "We want to check for unused resources in buildings." "Creating the most favorable conditions that promote growth will help make roofs more successful and therefore more viable options for installation on buildings."
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The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems , shows how spinach and corn can be grown in areas with high carbon emissions. A control group in the same plant was also roof ventilated but without CO2. The researchers chose spinach and corn because they are both relatively common edible plants, but they have different photosynthetic pathways (C3 and C4, respectively).
Spinach grown near the two roof holes produced four times the biomass of spinach grown near the control hole. Although the strong wind reduces the size advantage by limiting the amount of CO2, the spinach grows twice as fast as the control group.
"Many aspects of this system are still undecided before implementation, such as: B. Optimum air supply design and better growth rates," says Buckley. the optimum must be found and incorporated into the system design."
"The results provide initial support for a conceptual system that captures large amounts of carbon dioxide from human respiration and transports it to buildings and rooftop farms," the study said. Foods that humans can eat and breathe.
© MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images - Getty Images Boston Medical Center Rooftop Garden, 2017.During the study, the team monitored CO2 levels in the 20 rooms and roofs that were part of the study. "CO2 measurements showed higher concentrations in room and ceiling air when people were in the building," says Buckley. "CO2 levels were more than 1,000 parts per million, the recommended limit, indoors, and more than 800 parts per million, the maximum to promote plant growth, in roof vents.
Not all benefits can be strictly defined CO2 fertilization. Maize, which had lower CO2 uptake due to the photosynthesis (C4) pathway, was two to three times higher than the controls, probably because it was near the high temperatures of the exhaust fan.
The study calls BIG GRO a sustainable and scalable system for using carbon dioxide fertilizers in urban areas and suggests that the goal of "increasing overall urban vegetation" could help solve some pollution-related environmental problems.
However, relying on additional CO2 for composting can have a downside. Another French study recently published in the journal Plant Science found that plants with the C3 photosynthetic pathway, such as spinach, have fewer nutrients when grown in an environment with high CO2 levels.
Depending on the CO2 content, these plants have 5 to 25% less nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, etc. The findings have dire implications. In the era of global warming, the food grown will become less nutritious, in terms of human and soil health, as well as public health. However, French researchers point out that increasing plant biomass would still be useful to meet modern food needs and reduce atmospheric CO2 levels.
Buckley hopes the initial research will lead to more systems being developed and applied to rooftop gardens and farms.
"If that happens," says Buckley, "more roof tiles will be installed. They can provide a range of environmental and social benefits, such as building energy savings, reducing carbon emissions, climate protection, reducing urban heat, local food production , community. opportunity creation and aesthetic and cultural benefits." - Psychological benefits.
