Envirolab

• Full control of the environmental conditions in the laboratory
• Thermally insulated atmosphere compartment and lysimeter
• "Full space" ventilation system for homogeneous climatisation of the atmosphere
• Large experimental door for unhindered access to the vegetation room
• Quick and easy lysimeter change due to completely openable front

Plants can grow naturally in the spacious atmosphere room. The size of the growing space can also be adjusted for trees and shrubs. The atmosphere parameters are controlled exactly according to reference scenarios or model-based, or set manually. In addition to air temperature, humidity and wind speed, the CO2 and ozone content in the atmosphere can also be controlled for the urgent research questions. The atmosphere room is gas-tight and can be used for balance and isotope measurements. Gas samples can be taken through ports or external analysers can be connected.

Thanks to intelligent air guidance, homogeneous conditions prevail in the entire atmosphere room and no technical stress arises for the plants.

With the multi-channel light management systems, day/night cycles can be simulated from anywhere on the globe.
The light spectra can be designed from a sun-like full spectrum to multi-channel systems with many individual spectral settings.
All spectra can be dimmed individually to simulate freely selectable day/night cycles.
High light intensities of more than 2,500µMol/m²s also make it possible to simulate cloud-free radiation days at almost all latitudes.

One focus of the design is the easy handling of the EnviroLab in all functions.
For this reason, the front panel can be opened completely so that the lysimeter with plant growth can be easily inserted and removed from the EnviroLab.
All cables and hose connections are designed with plugs and quick-release couplings. This means that the lysimeter can be changed within two hours.

The soil compartment can be installed as an undisturbed soil monolith or filled with a suitable substrate.
You select the soil sensors to monitor the processes in the soil column according to your wishes. The measuring system is expandable and thus future-proof.
To prevent the soil temperature from unnaturally increasing during laboratory operation and artificially accelerating the biological processes, the lysimeter is equipped with a highly efficient heat exchanger at the bottom.
By setting a thermal gradient in the soil profile, natural or model-based soil processes can be mapped.

The lysimeter cylinder is weighed with a high-precision weighing system. The accuracy is 100g, which corresponds to a precipitation of 0.1mm.
Together with the precision balance for the seepage water, the water balance and especially the evapotranspiration of the system can be measured precisely.
The gradients for soil moisture and soil temperature are controlled. Groundwater simulations are of course also possible with the system.
The hydraulic lower boundary condition is controlled with a novel lower boundary controller. This has its own processor and a maintenance-free pump. The matrix potential is controlled as a function of the pressure level in order to minimise artefacts caused by the pump intervention.