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 state that planting large numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations could be a reliable method of curbing emissions of CO2.

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

But critics state the concept could be have unanticipated, unfavorable impacts including driving up food rates.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that originated in Central America and is effectively adapted to harsh conditions including exceptionally arid deserts.

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

In this study, German scientists revealed that a person hectare of jatropha could catch approximately 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 growth, an excellent response from these plants. I feel there will be no issue attempting it on a much bigger scale, for instance ten thousand hectares in the beginning,” he stated.

According to the researchers a plantation that would cover three 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 researchers state that a crucial aspect of the strategy would be the schedule of desalination facilities. This implies that initially, any plantations would be restricted to coastal locations.

They are wanting to establish bigger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other schemes that just offset the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha could be an excellent, short-term option to environment modification.

“I think it is a good concept because we are truly extracting co2 from the environment – and it is totally different 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 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 currently trialling this technology, external however it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not just absorbs CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be collected for biofuel state the researchers, offering a financial return.

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

But other specialists in this area are not convinced. They indicate the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But much 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 states that while was as soon as viewed as the fantastic, green hope the reality was really various.

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

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

She pointed out that jatropha is extremely toxic 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 enter 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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