Desert 'carbon Farming' To Curb CO2
Desert 'carbon farming' to curb CO2
1 August 2013
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By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, BBC News
Scientists state that planting large numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be a reliable method of curbing emissions of CO2.
Dubbed "carbon farming", researchers state the idea is economically competitive with state-of-the-art carbon capture and storage jobs.
But critics say the idea might be have unforeseen, negative effects including increasing food prices.
The research has actually been published, external in the journal Earth System Dynamics.
Seeds of modification
Jatropha curcas is a plant that originated in Central America and is effectively adapted to harsh 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 revealed that a person hectare of jatropha could record as much as 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their quotes on trees presently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.
"The outcomes are frustrating," said Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.
"There was good development, a great action from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much larger scale, for example ten thousand hectares in the beginning," he stated.
According to the researchers a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would soak up all the CO2 produced by cars and trucks and trucks in Germany over a twenty years duration.
The researchers say that an important component of the strategy would be the availability of desalination centers. This implies that initially, any plantations would be restricted to coastal locations.
They are hoping to develop larger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other schemes that simply offset the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be a great, short-term option to climate change.
"I believe it is an excellent idea since we are really drawing out carbon dioxide from the environment - and it is completely different in between drawing out and preventing."
According to the researcher's calculations the costs of suppressing carbon dioxide by means of the planting of trees would be 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 countries are currently trialling this innovation, external however it has yet to be deployed commercially.
Growing jatropha not only soaks up CO2 but has other benefits. The plants would help to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant's seeds can be gathered for biofuel say the researchers, supplying a financial return.
"Jatropha is perfect to be turned into biokerosene - it is even better than biodiesel," stated Prof Becker.
But other specialists in this location are not convinced. They indicate the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, especially in Africa. But numerous of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very successful in coping with dry conditions.
Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She states that while jatropha was when viewed as the fantastic, green hope the truth was very 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 often individuals who require limited land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location - we wouldn't class the land as minimal."
She pointed out that jatropha is extremely harmful and can the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she likewise had concerns about the fairness of the concept.
"It is still somebody else's land. Why enter and grow these huge plantations to deal with an issue these individuals 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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