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 reporter, BBC News

Scientists say that planting big numbers of jatropha trees in desert areas might be an effective method of suppressing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, scientists say the idea is financially competitive with modern carbon capture and storage tasks.

But critics state the idea might be have unpredicted, unfavorable impacts including driving up food prices.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is extremely well adapted to harsh conditions consisting of extremely dry deserts.

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

In this research study, German researchers revealed that one hectare of jatropha might record approximately 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The researchers based their price quotes on trees presently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was great growth, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much larger scale, for example ten thousand hectares in the beginning,” he stated.

According to the scientists a plantation that would cover three percent of the Arabian desert would take in all the CO2 by cars and trucks and trucks in Germany over a 20 year duration.

The scientists state that an important element of the strategy would be the accessibility of desalination facilities. This means that at first, any plantations would be confined to seaside areas.

They are wanting to develop larger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other schemes that just balance out the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be a great, short-term solution to climate modification.

“I think it is a great idea since we are actually extracting co2 from the atmosphere – and it is totally different in between drawing out and preventing.”

According to the scientist’s calculations the expenses of curbing co2 via 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 variety of countries are currently trialling this technology, external however it has yet to be deployed commercially.

Growing jatropha not just absorbs CO2 but has other advantages. The plants would assist to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be harvested for biofuel state the researchers, supplying a financial return.

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

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

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

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

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

She mentioned that jatropha is extremely 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 massive plantations to deal with an issue 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 technique’

Published

15 April 2013

Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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