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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 correspondent, BBC News

Scientists say that planting large numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be a reliable method of suppressing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed “carbon farming”, researchers say the idea is financially competitive with high-tech carbon capture and storage projects.

But critics say the concept might be have unexpected, unfavorable effects consisting of driving up food costs.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that stemmed in Central America and is extremely well adjusted to harsh conditions consisting of extremely arid 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 could catch up to 25 tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere every year. The scientists based their quotes on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.

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

“There was good growth, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no problem attempting it on a much bigger scale, for example 10 thousand hectares in the start,” he stated.

According to the researchers 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 20 year duration.

The researchers state that a crucial component of the strategy would be the schedule of desalination facilities. This indicates that initially, any plantations would be confined to coastal areas.

They are wanting 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 individuals produce, the planting of jatropha might be a great, short-term solution to environment modification.

“I believe it is an excellent concept due to the fact that we are really drawing out co2 from the atmosphere – and it is entirely various between extracting and avoiding.”

According to the scientist’s computations the expenses of suppressing carbon dioxide through 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 are presently trialling this technology, external however it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not just takes in CO2 however has other benefits. The plants would assist to make desert locations more habitable, and the plant’s seeds can be gathered for biofuel say the scientists, supplying an economic return.

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

But other professionals in this area are not convinced. They indicate the fact that in 2007 and 2008 large numbers of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, specifically in Africa. But a lot of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not extremely successful in dealing with dry conditions.

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

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

“But there are often individuals who require minimal 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 enormous plantations to handle an issue these people didn’t actually trigger?”

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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