Quantitative modeling of a greenhouse as a bioreactor to process power station emissions

This article presents a quantitative model that envisions a greenhouse as a bioreactor converting power station flue gas into biomass. Through the use of this model, power‐generating capacity is correlated with greenhouse growing output and the potential benefits of such a setup are examined in terms of CO 2 elimination and water recovery. It is well established in existing literature that elevated CO 2 increases greenhouse plant yield by as much as 20% for suitable crop species. Our quantitative model reveals further that suitable flue gas can supply as much as 45% of the water content of plants grown in a greenhouse. Quantitative modeling indicates that for a simple flue gas‐fed greenhouse without separation or storage of flue gas, attached to a gas‐fired power station with a load factor of 35%, each 1 MW of name‐plate power producing capacity corresponds to a greenhouse growing capacity of 3.39 tons per day of plant material, with 1.64 tons per day of CO 2 emissions eliminated and 1.34 tons per day of water recovered from the flue gas stream. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 1774–1780, 2018