Desert ‘carbon Farming’ To Curb CO2

Desert ‘carbon farming’ to curb CO2

1 August 2013

Share

close panel

Share page

Copy link

About sharing

By Matt McGrath

Environment correspondent, BBC News

Scientists say that planting large numbers of jatropha trees in desert areas could be a reliable way of suppressing emissions of CO2.

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

But critics say the concept might be have unanticipated, 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 originated in Central America and is effectively adjusted to extreme conditions consisting of exceptionally arid deserts.

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

In this study, German researchers revealed that one hectare of jatropha could catch as much as 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their estimates on trees presently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was great development, a good reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much bigger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the beginning,” he said.

According to the researchers a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would absorb all the CO2 produced by automobiles and trucks in Germany over a twenty years duration.

The researchers state that a vital component of the strategy would be the accessibility of desalination facilities. This indicates that initially, any plantations would be restricted to seaside locations.

They are intending to develop larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker states that unlike other schemes that just out the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha might be a great, short-term service to climate modification.

“I believe it is a good concept because we are truly drawing out co2 from the atmosphere – and it is entirely different between drawing out and avoiding.”

According to the scientist’s computations the costs of suppressing co2 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 variety of nations are presently trialling this innovation, 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 scientists, providing a financial return.

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

But other specialists in this area are not encouraged. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, especially in Africa. But a lot of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not really successful in coping with dry conditions.

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

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

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

She mentioned that jatropha is highly 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 enter and grow these massive plantations to deal with a problem these people didn’t actually cause?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

More on this story

‘Carpets of seaweed’ grown for fuel. Video, 00:03:05’Carpets of seaweed’ grown for fuel

1 July 2013

Biofuels are ‘unreasonable method’

Published

15 April 2013

Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

The BBC is not accountable for the material of external sites.