Desert 'carbon farming' to curb CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

Environment correspondent, BBC News

Scientists state that planting big numbers of jatropha trees in desert locations might be an effective way of curbing emissions of CO2.

Dubbed "carbon farming", researchers state the idea is economically competitive with high-tech carbon capture and storage projects.

But critics state the concept could be have unanticipated, negative effects consisting of increasing food prices.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that originated in Central America and is extremely well adjusted to severe conditions including very arid deserts.

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

In this research study, German scientists revealed that one hectare of jatropha could capture approximately 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide 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 frustrating," said Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.

"There was great development, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much bigger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the start," he said.

According to the scientists a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would take in all the CO2 produced by cars and trucks in Germany over a 20 year duration.

The researchers state that a crucial aspect of the strategy would be the schedule of desalination centers. This implies that at first, any plantations would be confined to seaside areas.

They are hoping to develop larger trials in desert areas of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker states that unlike other plans that just offset the carbon that individuals produce, the planting of jatropha could be an excellent, short-term solution to environment modification.

"I think it is a great idea since we are truly extracting co2 from the environment - and it is entirely various in between drawing out and avoiding."

According to the researcher's computations the costs of curbing carbon dioxide via 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 countries are presently trialling this innovation, external but it has yet to be released commercially.

Growing jatropha not just absorbs CO2 however has other benefits. The plants would assist to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant's seeds can be collected for biofuel state the researchers, supplying an economic return.

"Jatropha is perfect to be developed into biokerosene - it is even much better than biodiesel," said Prof Becker.

But other specialists 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 much of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not very in managing dry conditions.

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

"When jatropha was introduced it was viewed as a miracle crop, it would grow on scrubland or limited land," she stated.

"But there are frequently individuals who need marginal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that location - we would not class the land as minimal."

She pointed out that jatropha is highly hazardous and can contaminate the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she likewise 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 individuals didn't actually cause?"

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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