Experimental Evaluation on Usability of Carbon Dioxide Captured from Fuel Cells in the Vertical Smart Farm Unit in a Building

Purpose: While the supply of fuel cells for buildings is spreading, smart farms are being proposed as one of the methods to remove carbon dioxide emitted during the hydrogen reforming process. In order to prove the effectiveness of the smart farm system linked to the fuel cells in the building, it is necessary to check whether growing edible crops under high concentrations of carbon dioxide compared to the general environment promotes the photosynthesis of crops, helps them grow, and reduces the captured carbon dioxide concentration. Method: In this study, an experimental facility for growing crops was produced, and leafy vegetables and fruits were divided into a control group and an experimental group and cultivated under high-concentration carbon dioxide conditions. In addition, a smart farm that can be applied as a system to a building was designed and manufactured as a modular unit, and the effect of reducing carbon dioxide was to be evaluated through leafy cultivation. Result: In the high-concentration carbon dioxide experiment, the growth promotion effect was confirmed in weight and size for 4 out of 6 leafy vegetables (about 95-322% increase in weight), and in the case of strawberries, about 27% increase in weight and 18% increase in sugar content was confirmed. In addition, as a result of the unit-type smart farm pilot experiment, the effect of reducing carbon dioxide by about 1.25g per hour was confirmed. Therefore, both the effectiveness of crop growth and reducing carbon dioxide were confirmed.