Desert ‘carbon Farming’ To Curb CO2

Desert ‘carbon farming’ to curb CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

Environment reporter, BBC News

Scientists say that planting great deals of jatropha trees in desert areas might be an efficient way of suppressing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, scientists state the idea is economically competitive with state-of-the-art carbon capture and storage projects.

But critics state the idea could be have unexpected, unfavorable impacts consisting of increasing food costs.

The research has actually been released, external in the journal Earth System Dynamics.

Seeds of modification

Jatropha curcas is a plant that originated in Central America and is effectively adapted to harsh conditions including exceptionally dry deserts.

It is currently grown as a biofuel, external in some parts of the world because its seeds can produce oil.

In this research study, German researchers revealed that a person hectare of jatropha could capture up to 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their quotes on trees presently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

“The outcomes are overwhelming,” said Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.

“There was great growth, a great reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for instance ten thousand hectares in the beginning,” he stated.

According to the scientists a plantation that would cover three percent of the Arabian desert would soak up all the CO2 produced by automobiles and trucks in Germany over a twenty years duration.

The researchers state that an important element of the strategy would be the schedule of desalination facilities. This implies that at first, any plantations would be confined to seaside areas.

They are intending to develop bigger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker states that unlike other plans that simply balance out the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha might be an excellent, short-term solution to environment modification.

“I think it is a great idea due to the fact that we are actually drawing out co2 from the environment – and it is totally various in between drawing out and avoiding.”

According to the scientist’s calculations the costs of curbing co2 by means of the planting of trees would be in between 42 and 63 euros per tonne. This makes it competitive with other techniques, such as the more high tech carbon capture and storage, external (CCS).

A variety of countries are currently trialling this innovation, external however it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not only takes in CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be gathered for biofuel state the researchers, providing a financial return.

“Jatropha is perfect to be become biokerosene – it is even much better than biodiesel,” stated Prof Becker.

But other specialists in this location are not convinced. They indicate the truth that in 2007 and 2008 big numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, especially in Africa. But a number of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not really effective in managing dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels project manager for the charity, Actionaid. She states that while jatropha was when viewed as the excellent, green hope the reality was extremely different.

“When jatropha was presented it was viewed as a wonder crop, it would grow on scrubland or minimal land,” she stated.

“But there are often people who need limited land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location – we would not class the land as limited.”

She pointed out that is extremely hazardous and can pollute the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she also had issues about the fairness of the concept.

“It is still somebody else’s land. Why enter and grow these massive plantations to deal with a problem these people didn’t actually cause?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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