In January 2023 we set up one of the most ambitious greenhouse experiments for enhanced rock weathering. Since then numerous issues have been happening, together with 4 near-disasters involving frost, hearth, water and hail.
Right here is a photograph album diary of the primary 7 months within the Carbdown greenhouse.
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February eleventh 2023
The grass crops have began!
February twenty third 2023
The third era prototype of our automated fluxmeters is being examined within the greenhouse. This prototype relies on LEGO Mindstorms robotics.
March 1st 2023
For the primary time we’re taking leachate water samples and measure metrics like pH, electrical conductivity and complete alkalinity, amongst others. This can be performed as soon as a month for all 350-400 pots.
March twelfth 2023
Our 300 lysimeters bought their first haircut: each few weeks we lower down the grass/biomass, dry it and retailer the leaves.
March thirteenth 2023
For every of the pots we gather (and accumulate) the hay individually for later weighing, inspection and evaluation. Drying is completed in small paper luggage utilizing our drying oven at 60°C for >48 hours.
March thirteenth 2023
Close to catastrophe #1: Hail storm! A robust hail storm fortunately didn’t harm the glas roof.
March fifteenth 2023
Progress was hampered a bit when our trustful outdated Kärcher vacuum cleaner despatched white smoke alerts, and had to get replaced.
April twenty third 2023
Close to catastrophe #2: Frost! We burnt by the heating oil within the tank sooner than anticipated and needed to manage an emergency refill so our crops wouldn’t get harm.
Could 2nd 2023
The 4th prototype era of our automated fluxmeters is prepared for testing. This one already makes use of the controller and the CO₂ sensor of the ultimate system.
Could twenty sixth 2023
Close to catastrophe #3: No Water! The irrigation water system broke down and the strain tank had to get replaced just a few days later. Within the meantime we needed to give you a makeshift irrigation system for our 350 pots.
June sixteenth 2023
We’re engineering/constructing the fifth, closely upgraded era of our robotic fluxmeters for our greenhouse experiment. With 50 of those fluxmeters we will monitor the CO₂ efflux from our 350 ERW experiments across the clock.
June twenty seventh 2023
Our small military of customized fluxmeters (era 5) for the greenhouse is being constructed. We’re hand-building 50 of them within the CEO’s storage. For the reason that first protoype wie have repeatedly upgraded the sofwtare (we are actually on model 5.80 of system firmware and cloud structure) to make the gadgets autonomous and largely failure-proof (in any other case operating 50 or extra of those bins would shortly turn out to be a nightmare).
June thirtieth 2023
Our enhanced weathering experiment is now 150 days outdated. 350 lysimeters with 70 variations of 15 soils and 11 rock dusts are fortunately weathering whereas we take samples, measure leachate waters and monitor a whole bunch of metrics 24/7.
July third 2023
We’ve moved our robotic military to the greenhouse the place we attempt to measure the velocity of enhanced weathering with rock dusts like basalt, dunite or diabas on soils.
July sixteenth 2023
Each 2-3 days we groom the grass of the following 50 lysimeter experiments after which transfer over our robotic military, a set of totally autonomous scientific fluxmeter devices which measure CO₂/water-vapor flux, gentle and air strain/temperature each 6 seconds. The switch course of takes >2 hours.
July twentieth 2023
Close to catastrophe #4: Fireplace! A motor of the getting old roof-window-mechanic had caught hearth. Fortunately the hearth didn’t unfold to the shades and nothing else was harmed.
August 4th 2023
6 months of biomass/grass sampling within the greenhouse: Greater than 1000 dried gras/biomass samples. For every one of many 350 lysimeter pots and for every slicing occasion saved in a person paper bag for later evaluation.
August twenty eighth 2023
Our grass crops wanted some nitrogen, so we added just a few milligrams of nitrogen fertilizer to every lysimeter (extremely diluted in a number of water).
September twenty sixth 2023
We’ve some unlawful aliens in some pots, each as soon as and whereas we have to take away rampant weeds.
October 4th 2023
A movie crew was within the greenhouse filming all of the actions and particulars of our work.
