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 big numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be a reliable method of suppressing emissions of CO2.

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

But critics state the idea could be have unexpected, negative impacts consisting of driving up food costs.

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

Seeds of modification

Jatropha curcas is a plant that stemmed in Central America and is effectively adapted to severe conditions including very dry deserts.

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

In this research study, German researchers revealed that one hectare of jatropha might capture up to 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The scientists based their quotes on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was good development, 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 start,” 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 vehicles and trucks in Germany over a twenty years period.

The scientists state that an important component of the plan would be the schedule of desalination facilities. This means that initially, any plantations would be restricted to coastal locations.

They are intending to establish larger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other plans that just offset the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha might be a good, brief term service to .

“I believe it is a good idea due to the fact that we are really extracting co2 from the atmosphere – and it is completely different between drawing out and avoiding.”

According to the scientist’s computations the expenses 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 countries are presently trialling this technology, 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 gathered for biofuel state the researchers, supplying a financial return.

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

But other professionals in this area are not convinced. They point to the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But a lot of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very effective in coping with dry conditions.

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

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

“But there are frequently people who require minimal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location – we would not class the land as marginal.”

She mentioned that jatropha is extremely poisonous 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 somebody else’s land. Why go in and grow these huge plantations to deal with an issue these people didn’t in fact trigger?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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