Epiphyte Brochure

OPEN Source

Direct Air Capture

Get Involved: Click on these Mission Resources

Github

Discord

Live Stream

The Epiphyte repo includes version BOMs and other project docs; issues, milestones and a forum.

OpenAir’s server hosts an active Epiphyte channel for sharing and general discussion

Every Monday at 12pm EST, we hold a 1-hour live stream on Streamyard / Youtube Live. All are welcome to tune in.

Summary & Mission Objectives

Epiphyte is a desk-scale, open source direct air capture (DAC)* prototype designed by volunteer members of the OpenAir Collective.

* Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a technology that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere using specialized chemical and physical methods, aiming to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To continuously and rapidly evolve the Epiphyte design through a global peer-production* network, with contributions from a growing number of individuals and teams all over the world.

Epiphyte will be an open source global platform for DAC R&D, practical applications, and creative experimentation.

* Peer production describes systems of collaborative research, problem-solving and product development that rely upon the voluntary contributions of distributed independent actors participating in an open network.

‘Hello World’: Epiphyte Build #1

Fall - Winter 2023

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

10 Minute Epiphyte Tour

Webinar: Summary of Build #1 Results and New Problems to solve. (Dec 2023)

Build #1 Background

In fall of 2023, the first “Hello World” Epiphyte prototype was built by OpenAir volunteers David Wilson, Chuck Pierson, Ling Kong and Seth Sternberg, following a several month long collaborative design process carried out on weekly zooms, and over OpenAir’s Discord server.

The design was heavily inspired by an early working prototype developed by Octavia Carbon, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The build was hosted at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Philadelphia.The goal of this first build was to complete a basic functional ‘kernel’ device that 1. achieved a verifiable level of CO2 removal, and 2. could provide a starting point for all future experimentation and improvements carried out by a global community, anchored by university teams located all over the world.

‘Hello World’ Prototype components

1 KG supply of zeolite molecular sieve sorbent is poured into pocket around wire and sealed with steel plate.

Square sorbent pocket threaded with nichrome wire

sorbent Chamber

Sealed space for air flow and vacuum pressure.

Dampers

Seals sorbent chamber to stop air leakage during adsorption, and enable vacuum pressure.

Fan

Pulls air through sorbent panel.

CO2 Sensors

Fastened to exterior in 3D printed holder at air input and output positions

AIR FLOW activated by fan

How It Works - Current

Phase 1: Adsorption

CO2 absorption by sorbent via air contact with fan.

CO2 Sensor 1

CO2 Sensor 2

The fan is activated to pull CO2 laden air through the opposite end of the duct, across sorbent panel, and out the other end. Dampers are open. CO2 concentration of incoming air monitoried with sensor.

How It Works - Current

Phase 2: Desorption

CO2 released by sorbent using heat and pressure.

CO2 Sensor 1

CO2 Sensor 2

Electro-resistive heating of sorbent with nichrome wire.

Power supply (24V/12A)

The fan is turned off, dampers are closed, and heater is activated to 80 - 100 C to release CO2 from sorbent. Temperature is controlled with programmed microcontroller. Pressure and CO2 in chamber monitored with sensor.

How It Works - Not Yet implemented

Phase 3: Vacuum

CO2 is vacated from chamber with vacuum.

Vacuum pump activated to facilitate separation and removal of CO2 from chamber. CO2 released back into air, or captured in tank.

Immediate Optimization Needs

Spring - Summer 2024

Based on the results of Build #1 construction and testing, the team discovered several optimization challenges that must be resolved before the next build is undertaken this summer. In Spring-Summer 2024, our growing team is working through each optimization need, live steaming its process every Monday. By Summer 2024, the team aims to complete detailed open source documentation on Github so that others can discover, replicate and hack Epiphyte going forward.

The chemical material that does the work of absorbing CO2 is called sorbent. For our first build in Philadelphia we used a zeolite-based variety, because it was cheap and available. But it didn‘t perform well, and absorbed more H2O than CO2. So we are seeking alternatives. And in the longterm we see Epiphyte as a platform for test ing and deploying novel sorbents.

Go to Sorbent Forum

Make Sorbent Chamber air tight Vacuum Grade

To maximize the carbon desorption efficiency and speed we need to integrate a vacuum pump with Epiphyte, and plan to do so for build 2. However, our initial design will need to be upgraded to ensure sufficient chamber thickness and durability, and we also need to make it completely air tight and leak free for it to work. So changes to the chamber are in the works.

Go to Sorbent Chamber Forum

Incorporate Vacuum Sealing DAmpers Valves

The dampers on either end of the sorbent chamber have a critical role to play: sealing off the sorbent chamber from outside air flow, and preventing leaks when the vacuum is applied. The current dampers probably aren’t rated for this use case. We need something more heavy duty.

Go to Sorbent Chamber Forum

Improve Thermal Characteristics of Sorbent Panel

Achieving high energy efficiency is critical to arriving at a net-positive emissions balance. If we use too much power, that could overwhelm the climate benefit of removing CO2 with the same device. With the first build a lot of the precious heat generated to desorb the sorbent was absorbed by the metal that makes up the sorbent panel. We need to figure out a way to reduce this “thermal vampirism” so that more heat goes directly to the sorbent.

Go to Sorbent Panel Forum

The CO2 sensors at the air input and within the chamber are critical to measuring if and how much CO2 absorption has occurred per cycle. With our first build the product we used was very difficult to calibrate. To address this problem, we anticipate a sensor swap, but also need to design the chamber for more optimal air flow.

Go to Sensor Forum

CO2 Sensors Decrease turbulence increase repeatability

With our CO2 sensors we also experienced a lot of turbulence and noise, making it hard to measure accurately. In addition to a product upgrade we also need to reconsider the chamber and sorbent panel design design to optimize for smoother air flow, and an alternate method of sheltering the sensor head..

Go to Sensor Forum

Make Sorbent access and replacement easier

Our sorbent panel was very cleverly designed by our team, but we need to make it easier to open up so that we can swap out sorbents over time without taking apart the whole unit. So we are exploring new approaches that are more plug-and-play for build #2.

Go to Sorbent Panel Forum

improve reduce resistance of air flow through sorbent panel

With our current sorbent panel the sorbent is tightly packed in to maximize quantity and therefore absorption capacity. But this causes a lot of resistance for airflow, which also has an energy cost. We need to rethink how we can get the same amount or more sorbent ih the device, while also allowing for less resistance.

Go to Sorbent Panel Forum

Future Development Directions

2024 & Beyond

Completing and publishing the ‘Hello World’ kernel is just the very first step in Epiphyte’s evolution. Our goal is to set the design on a permanent pathway to perpetual innovation, exploration and evolution driven by a diverse, multi-disciplinary community of contributors. Here are a few key development directions that we plan to investigate in the coming months....

D1. Integrated CO2 mineralization

CO2 pulled from the chamber will be converted to solid CaCO3 using a special catalyst.

CaCO

(Calcium Carbonate Solid)

Captured and transferred CO2 enters integrated mineralization chamber, where it is combined with H20, Ca and novel catalyst to produce CaCO3 in solid form, resulting in durable CO2 storage.

D2. Little DACs, Big Data

We want to incorporate IoT monitoring into every Epiphyte built and operating globally. This will allow a range of performance results - both for individual units and in aggregate - to be reported and interpreted in realtime on a single dashboard.

Data Collected

CO2 Removed
Energy Efficiency
Environmental Factors
Etc.

D3. Printed Carbon Storage

Mineralizing CO2 involves the creation of solid carbonates, such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3). CaCO3 can be blended into 3D printing filament, making it stronger. If Epiphyte integrates mineralization (see D1 above), we can then explore making CaCO3 enhanced filaments. If we are successful with this step, we can then evaluate which Epiphyte components can potentially be 3D printed with this CaCO3 enhanced filament. This would create a pathway to not only removing, but also storing CO2 with/in Epiphytes. It also solves the question “what do we do with the CO2 we capture?” Answer: use it to make more Epiphytes!