NSF Award
2301488
Increasing food production to sustainably feed a growing population requires innovation to improve the efficiency of energy, water, and fertilizer use in agriculture. One promising solution for sustainable food production in indoor plant environments is the novel concept of using fertilizer as a dehumidification agent for climate control. In this process, fertilizer-based liquid desiccant is used to draw water vapor out of the humid environment for delivery to the plants. In this way, water is recycled while the indoor environment is dried, and significant energy savings are achieved by avoiding the need for intensive regeneration cycles that are common to most liquid desiccant systems. To realize the goal of unlocking the potential of fertilizer desiccant for efficient dehumidification and water recycling, this project addresses two fundamental scientific and engineering challenges: (1) to develop operational protocols for the real-time control of liquid desiccant temperatures so as to maintain high dehumdification rates and low specific energy use throughout the dynamic recirculation batch process; and (2) to identify mechanisms for improved performance by advancing fundamental understanding of polarization when it occurs across multiple concurrent domains. In addition, this project will support the development of sustainability hubs in Detroit and Pontiac through collaboration with student, community, and industry partners on a series of outreach and education initiatives.<br/><br/>A computational model of polarization across multiple concurrent domains will be developed to describe temperature, vapor concentration, and individual ion concentrations. Because polarization across multiple concurrent domains occurs in a great many different membrane processes, the models developed from this work may have far reaching utility to the membrane science community to improve treatment of polarization analysis. Likewise the analysis of fertilizer dehumidification performance in response to desiccant temperature, and then the subsequent development of appropriate control protocols, will provide insight into batch process dynamics and thermal management strategies more generally. Fertilizer-based liquid desiccant dehumidification can open up new possibilities for energy efficient closed-loop water recycling and humidity control of indoor plant environments, and thereby contribute to a sustainable farming future. In addition, an important teaching and outreach component of this project is included to complement research activity and help align scientific progress with the needs of society. A series of at least 6 student-led volunteer projects will support community gardens and other sustainability initiatives throughout Detroit and Pontiac. Involvement of at least 60 university students is targeted, and will be facilitated by student clubs. This will help to connect students to their communities and foster lasting partnerships between student clubs and community organizations. In addition, new curriculum focused on energy engineering will be developed in close collaboration with industry partners, to help prepare the next generation of engineers for a sustainable energy future.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
