CO2 Monitoring - Plant Yield EffectsProject Overview
The current accepted theory is that increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing global warming. There are, however, researchers who believe the facts point to temperature increases as the cause for increased levels of CO2.
Regardless of belief, CO2 is a resource. It is a fertilizer that enhances plants growth through the photosynthesis process. Plants take in carbon dioxide and water during sunlight hours, releasing oxygen as a waste product. The planet was lush with plant life when CO2 levels were high. Plants are great at adapting. What would happen if we increased the level of CO2 in todays plants?
Beacon Tech Net, LLC, located in Murrels Inlet, SC, is a bold entrepreneurial company focusing on renewable energy. The company is in its second year of a research grant received from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture through the support of the South Carolina Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund, to determine how much increase in dry mass will occur with various levels of CO2.
In 2008, a 40% increase in dry mass of the CX-1 sweet potato occurred with 3000 parts per million verses ambient air of approximately 380 parts per million. Dr. Janice Ryan-Bohac on a farm in Smoaks, SC, is breeding the CX-1 sweet potato specifically for the production of ethanol.
Currently there are no ethanol plants in the U.S. using sweet potatoes for feedstock.
In 2009, Vaisala GMM222 CO2 Sensors were installed to monitor CO2 levels at the project, said George Fryer, CEO and president of Beacon Tech Net. Mr. Fryer indicated that they are able to monitor these levels from their company office in Murrells Inlet, SC even though the project is located 150 miles away in Smoaks, SC.
The project has been expanded in 2009 to include an open field section. The purpose of the open field concept in comparison with the greenhouse approach is to find a lower-cost alternative to simulate the conditions that would occur if CO2 were pulled from the emissions of a fossil-fuel-burning power plant and pumped into fields of sweet potatoes.
The utilization of CO2 as a fertilizer to enhance the dry mass of crops would appear to make more sense than just pumping it in the ground and crossing your fingers that it will stay put.
Article written by George Fryer, Beacon Tech Net
CO2 Monitoring System Description
The farm features diesel generators that pump CO2 though pipes in various locations throughout the field. The pipes emit CO2 amongst the growing sweet potatoes. A NexSens CO2 monitoring system was set up to monitor the CO2 levels at select locations.
The real-time system helps to determine the effects of the increased carbon dioxide levels to the plant yield. The system consists of multiple Vaisala GMM222 carbon dioxide sensors wired to NexSens A50 junction boxes deployed around the farm.
The junction boxes lead back to four iSIC-OEM data loggers located in a nearby building. The data loggers transmit sensor readings via RS-232 cable to a nearby computer running NexSens iChart Software. iChart automatically posts the CO2 levels in real-time to a NexSens WQData web datacenter, which allows Beacon Tech Net engineers to monitor CO2 levels from their office located 150 miles away in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. 
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