The Effects of CO2-Enriched Water Irrigation on Agricultural Crop Growth

CO2, a major industrial (waste)water treatment process byproduct, significantly contributes to climate change, desertification and overall water depletion. Therefore, there is a significant interest in decreasing CO2 amounts, generated by various technological processes, through a wide range of methods from geological sequestration to biological sequestration. The CO2 (waste)water treatment byproduct sequestration into agricultural CO2-enhanced irrigation water offers several benefits by enhancing crop yield and repurposing emissions. This sustainable approach supports climate neutrality via biological sequestration, promotes circular economy principles, and strengthens the link between agriculture and climate change. In this study, the effect of CO2-enriched water irrigation was analyzed in a complex network of plants germination, soil bacterial populations’ dynamics and soil composition. Results showed that germination rates of plants irrigated with CO2-enriched water were species specific. Sage plants increased their germination and growth when irrigated with CO2-enriched water compared with plants irrigated with plain water. Moreover, CO2 addition favored the development of soil anaerobic bacteria in detriment of aerobic bacteria and subsequently changing organic and nitrogenous compounds soil composition compared to plain water irrigation. For the first time, the germination process influenced by CO2 was correlated with on overall possible CO2 effects on bacterial population growth dynamics and soil quality metabolites availability.