3/07/2025

A conversation with Harry Duran, host of the Vertical Farming Podcast

S11E157

2/12/2025

San Diego Beer News Craft Q&A

TerraFerm Seeks Eco-Conscious Brewery Partner

1/09/2025

New process for using beer fermentation waste off-gas for indoor/vertical farming carbon dioxide enrichment achieves 89% crop yield increase

San Diego, California

TerraFerm AgTech today announced compelling results for the demonstration trial of its novel vertical farming carbon dioxide enrichment technology. The enrichment process utilizes waste carbon dioxide off-gas from alcoholic beverage manufacturing for controlled delivery to an indoor grow space to promote improved plant growth.

Carbon dioxide enrichment is common in controlled agricultural environment (CEA) production, but TerraFerm’s patented process will allow for a circular bioeconomic approach to production that will provide higher yields while lowering the Scope 1 carbon emissions of associated breweries, distilleries, or wineries. The system taps into the carbon dioxide waste stream of active alcoholic beverage fermentation and controls the delivery of this gas stream to an enclosed grow space, maintaining a pre-determined carbon dioxide setpoint within the space by diverting flow either to the grow space or to exhaust. TerraFerm is happy to announce the peer-reviewed publication of its prototype demonstration trial, which resulted in an 89% increase in spinach yield for growth chamber plants treated with beer fermentation off-gas relative to control chamber plants.

Key Highlights:

• A prototype demonstration trial of TerraFerm’s patented process for carbon dioxide enrichment resulted in an 89% spinach yield increase.

• This process decreases overhead costs for CEA producers by providing a constant flow of carbon dioxide to be used as needed at all hours of the day.

• The process decreases Scope 1 carbon emissions of associated alcoholic beverage manufacturers, creating a more sustainable product for consumers.

• TerraFerm plans to scale this process to operate modular vertical farms (shipping containers) on-site with partner breweries, distilleries, and wineries to provide tap-to-table produce, as well as local distribution to grocers and restaurants.

Link to publication:

http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.159587.1