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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 great deals of jatropha trees in desert locations might be a reliable way of curbing emissions of CO2.
Dubbed “carbon farming”, researchers state the idea is economically competitive with modern carbon capture and storage jobs.
But critics state the concept might be have unforeseen, negative impacts consisting of increasing food costs.
The research study has been published, external in the journal Earth System Dynamics.
Seeds of change
Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is effectively adapted to harsh conditions including incredibly 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 scientists revealed that a person hectare of jatropha might capture approximately 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their estimates on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.
“The outcomes are overwhelming,” said Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.
“There was excellent growth, a great action from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for example 10 thousand hectares in the beginning,” he stated.
According to the scientists a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would absorb all the CO2 produced by cars and trucks and trucks in Germany over a twenty years duration.
The researchers say that a vital element of the plan would be the availability of desalination facilities. This suggests that at first, any plantations would be confined to coastal areas.
They are intending to establish larger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker states that unlike other plans that just balance out the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha might be a good, short-term service to environment modification.
“I think it is a great concept due to the fact that we are truly extracting carbon dioxide from the environment – and it is totally different in between extracting and avoiding.”
According to the scientist’s calculations the costs of curbing co2 through the planting of trees would be in 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 currently trialling this technology, external however it has yet to be released commercially.
Growing jatropha not just takes in CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would help to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be collected for biofuel say the researchers, supplying an economic return.
“Jatropha is perfect to be turned into biokerosene – it is even better than biodiesel,” said Prof Becker.
But other professionals in this location are not encouraged. They indicate the reality that in 2007 and 2008 big numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, particularly in Africa. But many of these endeavors ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very successful in dealing with dry conditions.
Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign manager for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while jatropha was once viewed as the excellent, green hope the truth was really different.
“When jatropha was introduced it was viewed as a wonder crop, it would grow on scrubland or limited land,” she stated.
“But there are often 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 mentioned 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 concept.
“It is still someone else’s land. Why go in and grow these massive plantations to handle a problem these people didn’t really trigger?”
Follow Matt on Twitter, external.
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Related web links
Universität Hohenheim
European Geosciences Union
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