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Desert ‘carbon Farming’ To Curb CO2

Desert ‘carbon farming’ to suppress CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

Environment reporter, BBC News

Scientists state that planting big numbers of jatropha trees in desert areas could be an effective method of curbing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, researchers say the idea is economically competitive with state-of-the-art carbon capture and storage jobs.

But critics state the concept might be have unforeseen, negative impacts of driving up 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 adjusted to harsh conditions consisting of incredibly dry deserts.

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

In this research study, German scientists showed that a person hectare of jatropha might catch approximately 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the environment every year. The scientists based their estimates on trees presently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was great growth, a good reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for example ten 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 20 year period.

The scientists state that a vital element of the plan would be the accessibility of desalination centers. This implies that initially, any plantations would be confined to seaside areas.

They are wanting to establish larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other schemes that just offset the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be a good, brief term solution to climate modification.

“I think it is an excellent idea since we are actually extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – and it is totally various in between drawing out and preventing.”

According to the researcher’s estimations the costs of curbing co2 by means of the planting of trees would be between 42 and 63 euros per tonne. This makes it competitive with other techniques, such as the more high tech carbon capture and storage, external (CCS).

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

Growing jatropha not only takes in CO2 however has other advantages. The plants would assist to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be gathered for biofuel state the scientists, providing an economic return.

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

But other professionals in this location are not convinced. They point to the truth 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 really effective in managing dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She says that while jatropha was as soon as seen as the terrific, green hope the truth was really various.

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

“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 marginal.”

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 someone else’s land. Why enter and grow these enormous plantations to handle an issue these people didn’t in fact cause?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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

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