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 an efficient way of suppressing emissions of CO2.

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

But critics state the concept might be have unanticipated, unfavorable impacts including increasing food prices.

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

Seeds of modification

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is extremely well adjusted to harsh conditions consisting of extremely dry deserts.

It is already 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 record approximately 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The scientists based their estimates on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was good growth, a good reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no issue attempting it on a much larger scale, for example ten thousand hectares in the beginning,” he said.

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

The scientists say that a crucial element of the plan would be the availability of desalination facilities. This implies that at first, any plantations would be confined to coastal areas.

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

“I believe it is a great concept since we are really extracting co2 from the environment – and it is totally different in between extracting and avoiding.”

According to the researcher’s computations the expenses of suppressing carbon dioxide through the planting of trees would be in 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 number of nations are presently trialling this innovation, external however it has yet to be deployed commercially.

Growing jatropha not just takes in CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would assist to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be harvested for biofuel say the researchers, supplying a financial return.

“Jatropha is perfect to be developed into biokerosene – it is even 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, particularly in Africa. But a number of these endeavors ended in tears,, external as the plants were not extremely effective in coping with dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while was when viewed as the terrific, green hope the reality was extremely various.

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

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

She pointed out that jatropha is extremely toxic 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 someone else’s land. Why go in and grow these enormous plantations to deal with an issue these people didn’t actually trigger?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related web links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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