Desert ‘carbon Farming’ To Curb CO2

Desert ‘carbon farming’ to suppress CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

correspondent, BBC News

Scientists say that planting big numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations could be an effective method of curbing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed « carbon farming », scientists state the concept is financially competitive with modern carbon capture and storage jobs.

But critics say the concept could be have unforeseen, negative effects including increasing food costs.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from in Central America and is effectively adapted to severe conditions including extremely 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 might capture approximately 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their quotes 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 great growth, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much larger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the start, » he said.

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

The researchers state that an important aspect of the strategy would be the availability of desalination facilities. This means that at first, any plantations would be restricted to seaside areas.

They are hoping to develop bigger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker states that unlike other schemes that just balance out the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be an excellent, short term service to environment change.

« I think it is a great idea since we are truly extracting co2 from the environment – and it is completely different between drawing out and avoiding. »

According to the scientist’s computations the expenses of curbing co2 via 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 technology, external but it has yet to be deployed commercially.

Growing jatropha not just soaks up CO2 but has other benefits. The plants would help to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be collected for biofuel say the researchers, supplying an economic return.

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

But other experts in this area are not convinced. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, especially in Africa. But a number of these endeavors ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very effective in managing dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while jatropha was as soon as viewed as the fantastic, green hope the reality was extremely different.

« When jatropha was introduced it was seen as a miracle crop, it would grow on scrubland or limited land, » she said.

« 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 explained that jatropha is extremely toxic and can contaminate the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she also had issues about the fairness of the idea.

« It is still someone else’s land. Why enter and grow these massive plantations to handle a problem these individuals didn’t really trigger? »

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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