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 say that planting large numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be an effective 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 say the idea could be have unanticipated, negative effects consisting of increasing food rates.

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

Seeds of modification

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from in Central America and is really well adjusted to harsh conditions consisting of exceptionally arid 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 one hectare of jatropha could capture as much as 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The researchers 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 excellent growth, an excellent response from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much larger scale, for example 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 vehicles and trucks in Germany over a twenty years period.

The scientists say that an important element of the strategy would be the availability of desalination centers. This means that initially, any plantations would be to coastal locations.

They are hoping to develop larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other schemes that simply offset the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha might be a great, brief term solution to environment modification.

“I think it is a good idea because we are truly extracting carbon dioxide from the environment – and it is completely different in between drawing out and avoiding.”

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

A variety of countries are presently trialling this technology, external but it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not just absorbs CO2 but has other advantages. The plants would assist to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be gathered for biofuel say the scientists, supplying an economic return.

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

But other professionals in this area are not encouraged. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 big numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, specifically in Africa. But much of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not really successful in coping with dry conditions.

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

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

“But there are often individuals who require minimal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location – we wouldn’t class the land as limited.”

She mentioned that jatropha is extremely hazardous and can pollute the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she likewise had concerns about the fairness of the idea.

“It is still someone else’s land. Why go in and grow these massive plantations to deal with an issue these people didn’t in fact cause?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related web links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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