Gary Lewis, owner of N/C Quest Inc., believes that part of the solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions may be to turn them into fertilizer, right out of the exhaust pipe.

Gary Lewis stands beside his C02 exchange system in the “new inventions” area at the Farm Progress Show. The system pumps tractor engine exhaust through an air-seeder fan and into the soil for use as fertilizer. (Scott Garvey photo)

And reduced fertilizer costs could be the biggest reason to do it. “Everyone thinks its all about nitrogen in agriculture -- it’s all about carbon,” he says.

And what better place to find wasted carbon but in diesel exhaust from a tractor? Lewis’ company at Pincher Creek, Alta., builds the Bio-Agtive emissions system (BAES), which can cool exhaust and channel it back to the air seeder fan. That, in turn, blows the exhaust into the soil along with the seed.

The carbon along with C02 and NOX, which are byproducts of combustion, can improve plant growth, he says.

Lewis says about 150 units are currently working on farms across the Prairies, and the concept is currently under study by agronomists in several locations including Manitoba, Montana, and Australia.

BAES systems cost about $40,000 and are sold on the condition that purchasers agree to help the company gather research data from their use. For more information, see the company’s website.