DECO₂:

A Field-Scale Research Initiative in Autonomous Carbon Capture

Can a self-replicating epiphyte function as climate infrastructure in places where trees can’t grow?
DECO₂ is a research-driven project investigating the deployment of Tillandsia usneoides as a non-soil, irrigation-free species that is for passive carbon sequestration and microclimate regulation across degraded and infrastructure-limited environments.

The goal is building a network of university collaborators to field-test viability, ecological boundaries, and carbon impact at scale.

Research:

Why Tillandsia usneoides May Be a Unique Candidate for Passive Carbon Sequestration

Research:

Why Tillandsia usneoides May Be a Unique Candidate for Passive Carbon Sequestration

Tillandsia usneoides. A Unique Candidate for Passive Carbon Sequestration

research-driven project investigating the deployment of Tillandsia usneoides as a non-soil, irrigation-free species that is for passive carbon sequestration and

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The Problem

Climate adaptation technologies tend to benefit developed nations, urban populations, while rural and low-income communities are left vulnerable to extreme heat, humidity, and land degradation. Many adaptation strategies require electricity, technical expertise, or centralised infrastructure. This project addresses three interconnected global challenges:

Rising Wet Bulb Temperatures: Increasing heatwave intensity is pushing Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) levels into dangerous territory, threatening human and animal health.
Expanding Land Degradation: Over 25% of the planet’s land is degraded, limiting food production, biodiversity, and natural regeneration.
Persistent CO₂ Emissions: In 2023, emissions hit a record 36.8 billion metric tonnes, accelerating climate instability and intensifying the need for scalable carbon sequestration.

Project Hypothesis

Tillandsia usneoides has the potential to be deployed at scale to passively capture atmospheric carbon, replicate without active maintenance, and help stabilise microclimates in degraded or infrastructure-poor environments. Its unique biological traits such as replicating through natural shedding, high surface-area biomass, absorption of toxic pollutants, and resilience to heat and humidity—make it a promising candidate for low-cost, nature-based climate solutions. Key functional outcomes include:

Low-Cost CO₂ Drawdown: Biomass growth leads to measurable carbon capture at the deployment (stand) level.
Localised Cooling: Mature clusters retain moisture and help cool nearby surfaces or air temperatures.
Self-Replication: Over 80% of biomass expansion occurs via fragmentation rather than seed germination, enabling easy, scalable replication.

Project Roadmap:

Phase 1 (Current)

Research, Testing & Planning
Duration: Months 0–6
Objectives:
Functional Performance Assessment
Enivornmental Constraints Report
System Deployment and Scaling

Phase 2

Micro-Pilot Field Deployment
Duration: Months 12
Objectives:
Multi-location testing with structures
Monitor survival in various conditions
Record real-world data

Phase 3

Multi-Region Open Trials
Duration: Months 24
Objectives:
Compare performance across climates
Assess long-term resilience and ecological fit
Collect open data to validate scalability

Phase 1 Proposed Research Areas:

This project will evaluate the performance, limitations, and deployment potential of T. usneoides across different environmental conditions. The research will focus on quantifying its carbon fixation capacity, replication rate, and ecological boundaries in both lab and field settings.

Functional Performance Assessment

Measure carbon uptake per unit biomass, moisture retention, pollutants absorption, and cooling effects
Track current and potential replication via natural fragmentation and reattachment
Compare growth under variable light, heat, humidity, and wind conditions

Environmental Compatibility and Constraints

Determine viability in semi-arid, high-heat, or degraded zones
Assess limits of UV, temperature, pollutants, and wind exposure
Analyse risk of ecological disruption and containment strategies

System Deployment and Scaling

Trial structured deployment models
Explore selective pollination or genetic strategies to improve growth rate, environmental tolerance, and carbon absorption efficiency

Comparitive Advantages

Rather than replacing existing systems, this strategy aims to fill a specific gap in areas with limited infrastructure, water access, or capital. It follows a “small tool, wide reach” concept that may support communities currently underserved by mainstream approaches. Its unique lifecycle characteristics, environmental tolerance, and structural simplicity could make it a valuable model for research into scalable, passive ecological systems.

Potential Advantages:

Autonomous Biomass Replication
Rather than reproducing through seed or controlled vegetative growth, T. usneoides sheds living fragments that disperse on the wind and reattach to new surfaces, enabling potentially exponential, self-directed propagation. This raises novel research questions around biological scalability, non-soil colonization, and decentralized ecosystem expansion.
Extreme Environmental Tolerance
The species demonstrates strong resilience in high heat, humidity, and polluted air, making it a candidate for studying biological performance under climate extremes and in degraded or densely urbanized environments.
Infrastructure-Free Deployment
It anchors to existing structures (wires, walls, fences), requiring no soil or irrigation. This provides a testbed for exploring alternative urban greening systems, vertical ecology, and climate interventions in areas with severe space or resource constraints.

Project Goals

If successful, this project aims to demonstrate a new model for biologically autonomous climate intervention. The long-term objectives focus on scalable impact, real-world applicability, and research-driven innovation:

Scale Passive Carbon Capture
Enable widespread, low-cost carbon drawdown across urban and rural landscapes without the need for soil, irrigation, or technical maintenance.
Restore Degraded Land Using Self-Replicating Biomass
Establish a replicable approach for ecological rehabilitation in arid, post-industrial, or infrastructure-limited areas.
Integrate into Urban Climate Infrastructure
Position T. usneoides as a living component in urban design for cooling, air purification, and carbon uptake where conventional greening isn’t feasible.
Enable Decentralised, Community-Operated Systems
Develop models that allow non-specialists to install, manage, and expand climate resilience infrastructure autonomously.
Create Value from Biomass Byproducts
Explore sustainable uses for harvested material, supporting carbon permanence and innovation in low-impact manufacturing.

University Information

Formal partnerships with universities to support this project are critical to its success. The project is flexible so that it will align with your institutional research priorities related to climate adaptation, sustainability, and nature-based solutions.

Funding: We are pursuing external grant funding to support collaborative research activities. Partner institutions will be eligible to share in co-authored proposals.
Research Contribution: Opportunities exist for faculty-led research, postgraduate supervision, and data collection across multiple disciplines (e.g. environmental science, plant biology, urban systems).
Student Involvement: The project is well suited for honours, master’s, or PhD-level fieldwork, with practical relevance and cross-disciplinary scope.
Institutional Benefit: Partners will gain access to novel experimental data, publication opportunities, and visibility in applied climate innovation.
Partnership Structure: We are open to MOUs, letters of collaboration, or project-specific agreements to formalise participation.
IP & Risk: We are not currently pursuing patents. All knowledge produced can be shared and co-developed under joint terms.

We welcome interest from academic departments, research units, or administrative offices seeking low-barrier, high-impact partnerships.

PROJECT FRAMEWORK

If you’re working in regions where trees won’t grow or where planting is too slow or costly this approach might be worth testing.

We’re building a lightweight trial model using Tillandsia usneoides, a self-replicating epiphyte that thrives in harsh environments. Our goals are simple: see where it survives, how fast it grows, and what kind of carbon impact it can deliver all with minimal setup. Learn More

Grant Funding

We are actively pursuing grant funding to support research, field testing, and strategic development of this project in partnership with academic institutions. Applications are being prepared across relevant federal, state, and philanthropic programs focused on climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and sustainable land management.

University collaborators will be included in future proposals as co-researchers, data leads, or field site partners. This ensures access to shared research outputs, co-authorship opportunities, and alignment with institutional sustainability and impact goals. Funding will directly support research activities, deployment models, and applied innovation that meet current national and global climate priorities.