“BioTherm makes CO2 conditions right for their customers’ indoor growing with help from Raypak XVers Condensing Boilers”
Raypak Case Study, January 2022
The Customer
California-based BioTherm is the exclusive dealer for Raypak boilers to the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry. BioTherm has been at the forefront of developing highly efficient greenhouse solutions since 1980. They specialize in providing climate control solutions for indoor and greenhouse operations from heat and hydro sciences to optimized air.
The Challenge
Indoor and greenhouse farming are growing industries and will continue on this path as consumers look for produce grown closer to where it is sold. But no matter where they are, all plants need just the right levels of light, temperature, moisture, and air composition. Greenhouse and indoor farming mean these factors can be dialed in for the best result possible. Many plants require a dose of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and maximize growth, and in Fukushima, Japan, it is no different. So, when vegetable facilities there, as part of the regrowth of the Fukushima fallout, sought out BioTherm to find a CO2 recapture solution, the team at BioTherm got to work. Until this point, the only real solutions for introducing CO2 into an indoor farm or greenhouse were large bulk tanks or individual CO2 burners.
The Solution
After experimenting with other Raypak solutions, the introduction of Raypak’s XVers® and XVers L Condensing Boiler lines was a game-changer! BioTherm knew that with the right condensing boiler system in place, BioTherm CO2 Systems can easily be integrated for more customers to achieve the perfect CO2 levels in indoor and greenhouse operations with clean, safe, and dry CO2. BioTherm systems harvest CO2 directly from the boiler’s exhaust gases and distribute them uniformly into the growing environment while ensuring other harmful gases are kept at a safe level. With a BioTherm CO2 System, there is no need for large bulk tanks or individual CO2 burners.
Raypak’s XVers Family efficiently serves two functions in one for BioTherm’s customers. First, the boiler provides the hot water needed for successful farming. And secondly, it helps optimize the CO2 levels in the air. By adding the simple process of collecting the boiler’s exhaust, the controllability of the XVers Family allows for a precise level of CO2 to be introduced into the space for further improved growing efficiency.
The Installation
The BioTherm CO2 System features a Raypak XVers Condensing Boiler and secondary heat exchanger paired with BioTherm’s Control System and Inline Fan.
The Final Result
“The other options they (cultivators) have are to have a gas provider bring out a giant tank they keep filled to emit the CO2. Others use CO2 generator products with an open burner that generates CO2 but makes it hard to reach the desired parts per million. With our system, they make it on-site and it burns clean. It doesn’t take much to get them to the desired set point. It’s a much more economical way to do it and easier logistically without having to get it delivered. It’s dry and clean and gives them a big benefit for their buck.
If they have an existing BioTherm system, this is a simple add-on.”
— Jim Rearden, President of BioTherm
“BioTherm is impacting this industry and using Raypak boilers to do it!”
— James Kastigar, Regional Sales Manager for Raypak
