Toronto based CO2 GRO announces a commercial feasibility of a CO2 Delivery Solutions system at Alberta based greenhouse grower,
The Cucumber Man.
The Cucumber Man’s president, Wayne Stigter stated, “The Cucumber Man prides itself on quality produce grown in an environmentally sustainable way. The increased yield and profit potential of CO2 GRO’s technology are very appealing. Equally attractive is the opportunity to target a fraction of our current CO2 usage to the benefit of the plant, without wasting a significant amount to the outside atmosphere. Reducing our carbon footprint is important to us and our customers.”
The commercial feasibility will be conducted in three acres of The Cucumber Man’s 12- acre greenhouse facility on beefsteak, cocktail, and grape tomatoes for a term of one year. The Cucumber Man’s 12 acres of greenhouses (522,000 square feet) include growing peppers. Their greenhouses currently use a combination of purchased liquid CO2 and CO2 gas from its boiler.
Ideally, the greenhouses would achieve atmospheric CO2 levels of over 800 ppm which are achieved during the winter months when the greenhouses are sealed. However, during the warmer spring, summer, and fall months, CO2 levels in the facility drop to ambient conditions of approximately 400 ppm due to heat venting which results in nearly all the added CO2 gas escaping to the air outside. The reduced CO2
availability for the plants results in sub-optimal yields versus what could potentially be achieved with more carbon available to the plants during those ideal growing months.
The commercial feasibility’s goals are to increase tomato fruit yield, reduce the potential spread of pathogens through CO2 Delivery Solutions’ Perimeter Protection benefit, require significantly less CO2 use and cost, and reducing their overall production costs per unit, all leading to increased profits.
Alberta’s greenhouse market
In an Alberta Government update as of September 1, 2018, Alberta was #4 in Canadian greenhouse capacity with 230 facilities. Over 80% of Alberta’s greenhouse vegetable production is of tomatoes and peppers. In October 2020, Alberta’s government is working to build value-added agriculture capacity and bolster economic activity with an aggressive private investment attraction target of $1.4 billion.
For more information: 
The Cucumber Man
www.thecucumberman.ca
CO2 GRO