Swedish-based Seibu Giken DST AB, part of Japan's publicly listed Seibu Giken Group, is expanding its industrial air treatment technologies into the agriculture sector, with a particular focus on sustainable CO₂ enrichment solutions for greenhouses and vertical farms.
The company has long been recognized in industrial sectors for its specialised air quality solutions, including dehumidifiers and VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) concentrators. Headquartered in Sweden, the company is backed by a global network of subsidiaries and production facilities in countries including China, Poland, and East Africa.
Now, Seibu Giken DST AB is bringing its proprietary air treatment technology into the agriculture sector with a new focus: direct air capture (DAC) of CO₂ for greenhouse and vertical farm cultivation.
"Our core technology comes from a honeycomb-structured filter system," says Takeshi Wasaka, Tech Sales Manager at DST AB. "We load specific functions onto this structure — for example, silica gel or zeolite to capture moisture, or a proprietary absorbent to capture CO₂ and release it at low temperature."
© DSTGreenhouse applications and CO₂ enrichment
DST's greenhouse-focused DAC system uses a rotor filter, fan, and heater to capture CO₂ from the ambient air and deliver it at a consistent concentration, typically around -1000 ppm, directly to the greenhouse environment.
"We don't rely on burning fuels or using liquid CO₂ tanks," he explains.
The process is designed to be energy-efficient and simple to operate. Once the machine is turned on, it begins supplying dense CO₂, when not needed, simply turn off the machine. No fuel refills or complex maintenance required.
He adds that the solution is clean. "The output contains only CO₂. There are no impurities or safety concerns typically associated with gas cylinders or combustion-based systems."
Proven through trials in Japan
While the agriculture sector is new territory for DST AB, the company has already completed more than 30 trials with multiple crops in Japan.
In particular, a strawberry trial conducted with the Fukuoka Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute demonstrated that our DAC machine can match or outperform other CO₂ supply methods.
© DST
"Our tests showed an average increase of 27% in harvest when using our CO₂ system compared to harvests without CO2," he notes.
Because of this, DST is now expanding its business into Europe, where both environmental sustainability and advanced greenhouse technologies are more widely adopted.
Upcoming demonstrations and partnerships
DST's DAC machine will be part of a European trial under the IDC-CO2 project, focused on demonstrating the use of direct air capture for greenhouse horticulture. The test will take place at a leading agricultural research site in Bleiswijk, Netherlands, from January to June 2026.
"This is our first formal European test site," he confirms. "It's a big step for us to validate the technology in European greenhouses."
In addition, DST will exhibit at GreenTech Amsterdam in June 2026.
A technological shift
"We aim to realize sustainable agriculture by applying proven industrial technology to solve agricultural challenges in an environmentally responsible way."
Seibu Giken DST AB is in the business development phase for its greenhouse DAC solution and actively expanding into the European market.
"We're looking to connect with growers ready to transition from conventional methods to sustainable solutions."
For more information:
Seibu Giken DST AB
Takeshi Wasaka
[email protected]
+46726022393
www.dst-sg.com
