PhD Advisor: Prof. Carlos Grande & Rod Wing

Abstract:
Carbon dioxide enrichment can substantially increase crop yields in greenhouse agriculture, yet it remains underutilized due to the logistical challenges and carbon footprint associated with conventional supply via trucked liquid CO₂. This thesis investigates whether direct air capture (DAC), and particularly DAC based on moisture-swing adsorption (MSA) technology, can provide an alternative CO₂ supply for greenhouse enrichment at competitive cost and with lower environmental impact.

Three interconnected studies address this question. First, a techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment modeled MSA and temperature–vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) systems for a 1-hectare desert greenhouse, benchmarking their levelized costs and greenhouse-gas emissions against conventional liquid CO₂ supply. Second, a fluidized-bed MSA (FB-MSA) prototype was built and characterized experimentally across 55 cycles under controlled laboratory conditions, quantifying sorbent working capacity, cyclic productivity, and specific energy consumption. Third, a dual-column FB-MSA demonstrator was designed, constructed and operated outdoors in a desert environment over an 11-day campaign.

Bio:
Zulma Lopez Reyes is a bioengineering PhD student at the Desert Greenhouse Engineering group.