Carbon Dioxide Scrubbers for Controlling the Gaseous Composition of Spaceflight Plant Growth Chambers - Design Trades and Test Results

Small spaceflight life science experiments, such as plant growth chambers and animal habitats, operate in unique environments. The experiments are often sealed systems that control atmospheric constituents, temperature, and humidity. Chemical scrubbers can be an efficient and reliable way to actively remove carbon dioxide for shorter experiment durations because they do not require power or complex technologies to operate. Several commercially available scrubbers were tested in both low and high humidity environments, and at low concentration levels of carbon dioxide similar to those found in plant chamber applications, to find a scrubber that was both effective and efficient for use in small life sciences experiments.