113 results for group: carbon-sequestration-1

Combating Climate Change Through Enhanced Weathering of Agricultural Soils

M. Grace Andrews, Lyla L. Taylor Abstract Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are driving increases in global temperatures. Enhanced weathering of silicate rocks is a CO2removal technology that could help mitigate anthropogenic climate change. Enhanced weathering adds powdered silicate rock to agricultural lands, accelerating natural chemical weathering, and is expected to rapidly draw down atmospheric CO2. However, differences between enhanced and natural weathering result in significant uncertainties about its potential efficacy. This article summarizes the research into ...

Simulating carbon capture by enhanced weathering with croplands: an overview of key processes highlighting areas of future model development

Lyla L. Taylor, David J. Beerling, Shaun Quegan, Steven A. Banwart Abstract Enhanced weathering (EW) aims to amplify a natural sink for CO2by incorporating powdered silicate rock with high reactive surface area into agricultural soils. The goal is to achieve rapid dissolution of minerals and release of alkalinity with accompanying dissolution of CO2into soils and drainage waters. EW could counteract phosphorus limitation and greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions in tropical soils, and soil acidification, a common agricultural problem studied with numerical process models over several decades. Here, we review the processes leading to soil acidifica...

Effects of mineralogy, chemistry and physical properties of basalts on carbon capture potential and plant-nutrient element release via enhanced weathering

Amy L.Lewis, Binoy Sarkar, Peter Wadea, Simon J.Kemp, Mark E.Hodson, Lyla L.Taylor, Kok Loong Yeong, Kalu Davies, Paul N.Nelson, Michael I.Bird, Ilsa B.Kantola, Michael D.Masters, Evan DeLucia, Jonathan R.Leake, Steven A.Banwart, David J.Beerling Abstract Mafic igneous rocks, such as basalt, are composed of abundant calcium- and magnesium-rich silicate minerals widely proposed to be suitable for scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by enhanced rock weathering (ERW). Here, we report a detailed characterization of the mineralogy, chemistry, particle size and surface area of six mined basalts being used in large-scale ERW field trials. We use 1-D ...

The contribution of agricultural lime to carbon dioxide emissions in the United States: dissolution, transport, and net emissions

Tristram O.West, Allen C.McBride Abstract Agricultural lime (aglime) is commonly applied to soils in the eastern U.S. to increase soil pH. Aglime includes crushed limestone (CaCO3) and crushed dolomite (MgCa(CO3)2). Following the supposition by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that all C in aglime is eventually released as CO2 to the atmosphere, the U.S. EPA estimated that 9 Tg (Teragram = 1012 g = 106 metric tonne) CO2 was emitted from an approximate 20 Tg of applied aglime in 2001. A review of historic data on aglime production and use indicates that 30 Tg may better represent the annual U.S. consumption of aglime. More ...

Rapid Removal of Atmospheric CO2 by Urban Soils

Carla-Leanne Washbourne, Elisa Lopez-Capel, Phil Renforth, Philippa L. Ascough, and David A. C. Manning Abstract The measured calcium carbonate content of soils to a depth of 100 mm at a large urban development site has increased over 18 months at a rate that corresponds to the sequestration of 85 t of CO2/ha (8.5 kg of CO2 m–2) annually. This is a consequence of rapid weathering of calcium silicate and hydroxide minerals derived from the demolition of concrete structures, which releases Ca that combines with CO2 ultimately derived from the atmosphere, precipitating as calcite. Stable isotope data confirm an atmospheric origin for carbonate ...

Review of greenhouse gas emissions from crop production systems and fertilizer management effects Author

C.S.Snyder, T.W.Bruulsema, T.L.Jensen, P.E.Fixen Abstract Fertilizer nitrogen (N) use is expanding globally to satisfy food, fiber, and fuel demands of a growing world population. Fertilizer consumers are being asked to improve N use efficiency through better management in their fields, to protect water resources and to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while sustaining soil resources and providing a healthy economy. A review of the available science on the effects of N source, rate, timing, and placement, in combination with other cropping and tillage practices, on GHG emissions was conducted. Implementation of intensive crop management ...

The potential of enhanced weathering in the UK Author

P.Renforth Abstract Enhanced weathering is the process by which carbon dioxide is sequestered from the atmosphere through the dissolution of silicate minerals on the land surface. The carbon capture potential of enhanced weathering is large, yet there are few data on the effectiveness or engineering feasibility of such a scheme. Here, an energy/carbon balance is presented together with the associated operational costs for the United Kingdom as a case study. The silicate resources are large and could theoretically capture 430 billion tonnes (Gt) of CO2. The majority of this resource is contained in basic rocks (with a carbon capture potential of ...

Impacts of enhanced weathering on biomass production for negative emission technologies and soil hydrology

Wagner de Oliveira Garcia, Thorben Amann, Jens Hartmann, Kristine Karstens, Alexander Popp, Lena R. Boysen, Pete Smith, and Daniel Goll Abstract Limiting global mean temperature changes to well below 2 ∘C likely requires a rapid and large-scale deployment of negative emission technologies (NETs). Assessments so far have shown a high potential of biomass-based terrestrial NETs, but only a few assessments have included effects of the commonly found nutrient-deficient soils on biomass production. Here, we investigate the deployment of enhanced weathering (EW) to supply nutrients to areas of afforestation–reforestation and naturally growing ...

Increased yield and CO2 sequestration potential with the C4 cereal Sorghum bicolor cultivated in basaltic rock dust-amended agricultural soil

Mike E. Kelland, Peter W. Wade, Amy L. Lewis, Lyla L. Taylor, Binoy Sarkar, M. Grace Andrews, Mark R. Lomas, T. E. Anne Cotton, Simon J. Kemp, Rachael H. James, Christopher R. Pearce, Sue E. Hartley, Mark E. Hodson, Jonathan R. Leake, Steven A. Banwart, David J. Beerling Abstract Land-based enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a biogeochemical carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy aiming to accelerate natural geological processes of carbon sequestration through application of crushed silicate rocks, such as basalt, to croplands and forested landscapes. However, the efficacy of the approach when undertaken with basalt, and its potential co-benefits ...

Potential of global croplands and bioenergy crops for climate change mitigation through deployment for enhanced weathering

Ilsa B. Kantola, Michael D. Masters, David J. Beerling, Stephen P. Long and Evan H. DeLucia Abstract Conventional row crop agriculture for both food and fuel is a source of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, and intensifying production on agricultural land increases the potential for soil C loss and soil acidification due to fertilizer use. Enhanced weathering (EW) in agricultural soils—applying crushed silicate rock as a soil amendment—is a method for combating global climate change while increasing nutrient availability to plants. EW uses land that is already producing food and fuel to sequester carbon (C), and ...