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 big numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations could be a reliable method of suppressing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, researchers say the concept is financially competitive with modern carbon capture and storage projects.

But critics say the concept might be have unforeseen, negative impacts consisting of driving up food prices.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that originated in Central America and is extremely well adapted to severe conditions consisting of exceptionally arid deserts.

It is already 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 record up to 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. The researchers based their price quotes on trees presently 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 development, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the beginning,” he said.

According to the scientists 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 twenty years duration.

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

They are intending to develop larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other plans that just balance out the carbon that produce, the planting of jatropha could be a great, brief term solution to climate modification.

“I think it is an excellent concept because we are truly drawing out carbon dioxide from the environment – and it is entirely various between extracting and preventing.”

According to the scientist’s estimations 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 strategies, such as the more high tech carbon capture and storage, external (CCS).

A number of nations are presently trialling this innovation, external but it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not only absorbs CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be collected for biofuel say the researchers, offering an economic return.

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

But other professionals in this area are not encouraged. They point to the fact that in 2007 and 2008 big numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But many 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 states that while jatropha was once viewed as the fantastic, green hope the reality was really various.

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

“But there are frequently individuals who need limited land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location – we would not class the land as limited.”

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

“It is still someone else’s land. Why enter and grow these huge plantations to deal with a problem 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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