Desert ‘carbon Farming’ To Curb CO2

Desert ‘carbon farming’ to suppress CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

Environment correspondent, BBC News

Scientists state that planting big numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be an effective method of curbing 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 unforeseen, negative impacts including increasing food rates.

The research study 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 really well adapted to harsh conditions including extremely dry deserts.

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

In this study, German scientists showed that one hectare of jatropha could capture as much as 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their price quotes on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was great development, a good action from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much larger scale, for example ten thousand hectares in the start,” he stated.

According to the scientists a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would absorb all the CO2 produced by cars and trucks and trucks in Germany over a 20 year period.

The scientists state that a critical aspect of the strategy would be the of desalination facilities. This means that at first, any plantations would be restricted to seaside locations.

They are wishing to establish larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other plans that simply offset the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha could be a great, brief term service to environment modification.

“I believe it is an excellent idea due to the fact that we are actually drawing out carbon dioxide from the environment – and it is completely various between drawing out and preventing.”

According to the scientist’s estimations the costs of suppressing carbon dioxide via the planting of trees would be 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 number of nations are presently trialling this innovation, external but it has yet to be deployed commercially.

Growing jatropha not only takes in CO2 however has other benefits. The plants would help to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be harvested for biofuel say the scientists, offering a financial return.

“Jatropha is ideal to be developed into biokerosene – it is even better than biodiesel,” stated Prof Becker.

But other experts in this location are not encouraged. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 large numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But numerous of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not really successful in managing dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign manager for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while jatropha was as soon as seen as the excellent, green hope the truth was very different.

“When jatropha was introduced it was seen as a miracle crop, it would grow on scrubland or limited land,” she stated.

“But there are typically people who require marginal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that area – we wouldn’t class the land as marginal.”

She mentioned that jatropha is highly poisonous and can contaminate the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she also had concerns about the fairness of the idea.

“It is still somebody else’s land. Why go in and grow these huge plantations to deal with a problem these individuals didn’t really cause?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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