Greenhouse CO₂ Storage: How to Take Control of Your Supply

CO₂ is the lifeblood of greenhouse cultivation. However, relying on a fossil fuel-based supply chain is an increasingly fragile strategy. As energy prices swing and sustainability pressure grows, more growers are asking how they can take control of their own CO₂ supply.

Green Gas & Liquids will address exactly this question at GreenTech Amsterdam. Our Business Development Manager, Nicola Donato, will join a panel titled “How Can Greenhouses Store CO2 and Take Control of Their Supply?” alongside Janneke Grit (Wageningen University & Research), Peter van Hooft (Skytree), and Henry Gordon-Smith (Agritecture). Together, they’ll explore how greenhouse operators can move toward an independent, circular CO₂ strategy.

Three Ways to Supply and Store CO2 in Greenhouses

Growers generally choose between three approaches, and each comes with real trade-offs.

Direct use of flue gas requires no capture unit, but it isn’t storable. It also carries a low CO₂ purity of just 4–6% by volume, so growers must handle roughly 16.7 times the gas volume of pure CO₂ to deliver the same enrichment.

Gas CO2 storage, by contrast, achieves over 99.9% purity. It stores in a flexible tank footprint of around 12×12m and works with any energy source — not just CHP or gas boilers.

Liquid CO2 storage delivers the same high purity in a far more compact footprint, roughly 2×2m. Nevertheless, liquefaction introduces significant cost. It requires 250 kWh per tonne of CO₂ liquefied, plus continuous energy draw to maintain tank pressure. As a result, total delivered OPEX for liquid CO₂ can reach €180–220 per tonne — up to 10 times the cost of on-site gaseous CO₂ capture.

Why Timing Your CO2 Capture Matters

Electricity prices fluctuate sharply across the day, and this directly affects when CO2 capture makes the most sense. During solar surplus hours (roughly 09:00–17:00), prices often drop to zero because of high PV output. This is precisely when a CHP can run purely for CO₂ recovery — generating up to 1,400 kg/hour without the pressure of unfavorable power prices.

Over 180 summer days, this strategy can capture more than 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Depending on your cost baseline, that translates into savings of €200,000–€300,000 per year. Meanwhile, during evening peak hours, when prices can spike above €370/MWh, the same CHP becomes far more valuable for electricity and heat production instead.

Galloxol CCU: Practical Greenhouse CO2 Storage

This is exactly where Galloxol® CCU comes in. Unlike traditional amine-based carbon capture, Galloxol® uses a biodegradable solvent with no toxic chemicals and no loss of solvent to atmosphere. It’s specifically designed for greenhouse use, and it delivers meaningful savings: roughly 40% lower CAPEX and 120% lower OPEX than liquefaction-based alternatives.

The system scales modularly from 0.5 to 6 tonnes of CO₂ production per hour, so it adapts to greenhouses of different sizes. Two operating installations demonstrate this in practice. In Vienna, Austria, a 1.8 ton/hour Galloxol® plant captures and reuses CO₂ across 7 hectares of greenhouses. In Egchel, the Netherlands, a 2.2 ton/hour installation has been supporting horticulture operations since 2021.

Curious how Galloxol® CCU could work for your greenhouse? Contact our team to discuss your CO2 strategy.