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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 great deals of jatropha trees in desert locations might be an effective way of suppressing emissions of CO2.
Dubbed “carbon farming”, scientists state the idea is financially competitive with modern carbon capture and storage projects.
But critics state the idea could be have unanticipated, negative impacts consisting of increasing food costs.
The research has been published, external in the journal Earth System Dynamics.
Seeds of modification
Jatropha curcas is a plant that stemmed in Central America and is effectively adjusted to harsh conditions consisting of 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 study, German scientists revealed that one hectare of jatropha could catch up to 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The scientists based their estimates on trees currently 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 excellent development, a good action from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for instance ten 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 automobiles and trucks in Germany over a 20 year duration.
The scientists say that an important component of the plan would be the accessibility of desalination centers. This means that at first, any plantations would be confined to coastal areas.
They are hoping to develop larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. says that unlike other plans that just offset the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be an excellent, short term option to environment modification.
“I believe it is a good idea since we are actually drawing out co2 from the environment – and it is totally various in between drawing out and avoiding.”
According to the researcher’s calculations the expenses of curbing co2 through 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 nations are presently trialling this innovation, external however it has yet to be released commercially.
Growing jatropha not only absorbs CO2 but has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be harvested for biofuel say the scientists, supplying a financial return.
“Jatropha is perfect to be turned into biokerosene – it is even better than biodiesel,” said Prof Becker.
But other experts in this area are not encouraged. They point to the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But numerous of these endeavors ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very successful in handling dry conditions.
Lucy Hurn is the biofuels project supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while jatropha was when seen as the great, green hope the reality was very different.
“When jatropha was presented it was seen as a miracle crop, it would grow on scrubland or minimal land,” she stated.
“But there are typically individuals who require minimal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that area – we would not class the land as limited.”
She explained that jatropha is highly hazardous and can pollute the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she also had issues about the fairness of the concept.
“It is still somebody else’s land. Why go in and grow these huge plantations to handle a problem these people didn’t really cause?”
Follow Matt on Twitter, external.
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Related internet links
Universität Hohenheim
European Geosciences Union
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