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 great deals of jatropha trees in desert locations might be an effective method of suppressing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, scientists say the idea is economically competitive with high-tech carbon capture and storage jobs.

But critics say the idea might be have unpredicted, unfavorable effects including increasing food rates.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is very well adjusted to extreme conditions including extremely dry deserts.

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

In this research study, German researchers showed that one hectare of jatropha might record as much as 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide 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,” said Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.

“There was excellent growth, a great action from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much larger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the beginning,” he stated.

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

The researchers state that a crucial element of the plan would be the accessibility of desalination centers. This means that initially, any plantations would be confined to seaside areas.

They are wanting to establish larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other plans that just offset the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha could be a good, short term service to climate modification.

“I think it is a good idea because we are truly drawing out carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – and it is totally various in between drawing out and avoiding.”

According to the researcher’s calculations the expenses 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 strategies, such as the more high tech carbon capture and storage, external (CCS).

A number of nations are presently trialling this innovation, external however it has yet to be deployed commercially.

Growing jatropha not only takes in CO2 but has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be harvested for biofuel say the researchers, providing an economic return.

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

But other professionals in this location are not convinced. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 big numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, specifically in Africa. But a number of these endeavors ended in tears,, external as the plants were not extremely successful in managing dry conditions.

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

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

“But there are often people who require marginal 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 highly hazardous and can pollute the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she likewise had issues about the fairness of the concept.

“It is still someone else’s land. Why enter and grow these enormous plantations to handle a problem these individuals didn’t actually trigger?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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