Strong turnout at first-ever CO₂ Knowledge Event

Was it the sandwiches from La Place, or do growers truly recognize the value of CO₂ as the key to making their operations more sustainable? It quickly became clear on Wednesday afternoon that it was the latter, of course it was. After all, with the NATO summit causing major traffic disruptions in the Netherlands, no one would head out just for fun.

The very first CO₂ Knowledge Event, organized by Glastuinbouw Nederland and "Kas als Energiebron" (Greenhouse as Energy Source), drew a strong crowd. The topic clearly resonates within the sector. Growers, technology providers, and even companies from outside horticulture came together to discuss how new biogenic sources of CO₂ can help make greenhouse cultivation more sustainable.

Alexander Formsma, Policy Specialist for Energy & Climate at Glastuinbouw Nederland, and no stranger to The Hague himself, couldn't resist making a quick connection to the other major event happening there: the NATO summit. But he didn't dwell on it. "There's already plenty in the news about NATO and Trump," he joked, before quickly shifting focus to the main program.

Circus
ETS-2 and the obligation to blend green gas have also been frequently in the news this year. At the event in De Meern, Alexander gave a brief update on where things currently stand—similar to what he shared last week at the EnergiekEvent.

Glastuinbouw Nederland's position is clear: they are not in favor of complicated compensation schemes for ETS-2. It would make things far too complex. Or, as Alexander put it, "Don't build a whole circus around it."

Until the 2026 spring budget, the government in The Hague will continue working on a compensation plan related to including the greenhouse sector in ETS-2. Meanwhile, the industry association is actively looking for ways to make policymakers realize they may be heading in the wrong direction.

One bright spot Alexander pointed out: a motion by CDA member Bontenbal to scrap the national CO₂ tax for industry was recently passed. A majority in Parliament supported it. For Glastuinbouw Nederland, this opens a new window of opportunity to bring the specific CO₂ challenges faced by greenhouse back into the conversation.

Several companies active in the CO₂ space were invited to speak at Wednesday's Knowledge Event. Some shared their insights through plenary presentations, while others took part in a dedicated company showcase. Among the participants were Value Carbon/Value Maritime, Skytree, Bright Renewables, and Green Gas & Liquids—each presenting their technologies and solutions for CO₂ sourcing and utilization.

Optimal (autonomous) CO₂ dosing
Jeroen Boonekamp from B-Mex was active in both the company showcase and the plenary program. He presented CO₂ Optimaal, a CO₂ optimization tool developed in collaboration with OCAP, the supplier of CO₂ from the port area.

In its current version, the tool mainly provides retrospective insights—showing where CO₂ application could have been optimized. While this already offers valuable learning opportunities, growers quickly told B-Mex that if the system knows how to do it better, it would be even more helpful if it could automatically control CO₂ dosing. That's exactly what B-Mex is now working on.

A first test version of the autonomous system is already running and is scheduled to begin full autonomous dosing next week. On Wednesday, Jeroen invited 15 more growers to join the next testing phase. So far, 25 companies have signed up, and B-Mex is aiming for a total of 40 participants to trial the autonomous CO₂ control feature.

For both CO₂ Optimaal and its autonomous version, high-quality data—such as weather conditions—is crucial. The tool operates using two main strategies: Maximizing yield by applying CO₂ at optimal levels, or achieving the best possible results with minimal CO₂ input.
Jeroen noted that the first approach is popular in fruiting vegetables, where maximizing kilos is key. In contrast, ornamental growers—like chrysanthemum producers—may prefer the second strategy, as they're not always looking for heavier stems and may choose to dose CO₂ more conservatively.

So far, B-Mex has observed in practice that growers often under-dose CO₂ during periods of high light intensity. There's clear potential for gains, particularly by increasing CO₂ application in the early morning hours, when vent positions are still limited. That's the moment when you can efficiently reach the desired CO₂ ppm levels without much ventilation loss.

However, one ongoing challenge remains: how to deal with unpredictable weather conditions. Even though the tool already performs better than manual control in many cases, there's still room for improvement in handling variability.

Questions started coming in during Jeroen's presentation. One grower asked: How does the tool handle combined heat and power (CHP) data if it relies on yesterday's figures, but the CHP run profile is completely different on weekends compared to weekdays?

Jeroen acknowledged that this is an area where further optimization is needed. In general, the tool is still in development, especially the autonomous control function. B-Mex is currently working on integrating CO₂ Optimaal with climate control computers. The connections with Ridder and Hoogendoorn systems are already in place, and, as Jeroen told the audience, "Discussions with Priva are ongoing."

Savings
Of course, the audience was also curious about the potential savings with CO₂ Optimaal. Jeroen's answer was fair and realistic: "It depends on the type of business."

Some growers discover they've been under-dosing CO₂, limiting their crop's potential, and could benefit from applying more CO₂ in a more efficient way. Others find they've been over-dosing, using more CO₂ than necessary. In that case, the tool helps them cut back without compromising results. So, depending on the situation, CO₂ Optimaal either helps growers optimize their dosing for higher efficiency or achieve real savings by reducing unnecessary use.

The industry as a whole is also focused on saving and optimizing CO₂, but at the same time, it's still actively looking for additional external CO₂ sources to meet sustainability targets set out in the climate agreement toward 2030. The sector hasn't yet reached the goal of securing 2 million tonnes of external CO₂—there's still over 1 million tonnes to go, Alexander explained.

To close that gap, several sources are being explored. Capturing CO₂ directly from the air is a promising option, as is supply from waste incineration plants—a topic covered in a presentation by Peter Simoës from the Dutch Waste Management Association. Another potential source: the shipping industry.

Plenty of development in CO₂ technologies
Representing Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Janneke Grit and Alexander Boedijn shared updates on several CO₂-related projects. At WUR, there's clear momentum in the field of CO₂—and they continue to see new companies entering the market with innovative technologies.

Many businesses see real opportunities in this space. One example is New Energy Coalition, whose representative Ruud Paap gave a presentation on green gas and the growing market for biogenic CO₂. Earlier this year, the coalition published a detailed report on the topic, highlighting the potential of renewable gas streams and their CO₂ byproducts for use in the greenhouse sector.

© Thijmen Tiersma | VerticalFarmDaily.com
Jeroen Boonekamp of B-Mex had registration forms for those interested in participating in the scale-up test with autonomous CO₂ dosing.