Desert 'carbon farming' to curb CO2

1 August 2013

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By Matt McGrath

Environment reporter, BBC News

Scientists state that planting great deals of jatropha trees in desert locations could be an efficient way of curbing emissions of CO2.

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

But critics state the idea might be have unpredicted, negative effects consisting of increasing food prices.

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

Seeds of change

Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is very well adjusted to severe conditions including very arid deserts.

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

In this research study, German scientists showed that one hectare of jatropha might capture up to 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. The researchers 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 excellent development, a good action from these plants. I feel there will be no problem trying it on a much bigger scale, for instance 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 twenty years duration.

The scientists say that an important component of the plan would be the accessibility of desalination centers. This implies that initially, any plantations would be restricted to seaside areas.

They are wishing to develop larger trials in desert locations of Oman or Qatar. Prof Becker says that unlike other plans that just offset the carbon that people produce, the planting of jatropha might be an excellent, short-term option to climate modification.

"I think it is an excellent concept since we are truly extracting carbon dioxide from the environment - and it is completely various between drawing out and avoiding."

According to the scientist's computations the expenses of curbing carbon dioxide by means of the planting of trees would be between 42 and 63 euros per tonne. This makes it competitive with other methods, such as the more high tech carbon capture and storage, external (CCS).

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

Growing jatropha not just takes in 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 say the researchers, supplying a financial return.

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

But other experts in this location are not persuaded. They indicate the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals of jatropha trees were planted for biofuel, especially in Africa. But much of these ventures ended in tears,, external as the plants were not extremely effective in coping with dry conditions.

Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign supervisor for the charity, Actionaid. She states that while jatropha was when seen as the great, green hope the reality was very different.

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

"But there are often individuals who require marginal 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 poisonous and can contaminate the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she likewise had concerns about the of the idea.

"It is still someone else's land. Why enter and grow these massive plantations to handle an issue these individuals didn't in fact trigger?"

Follow Matt on Twitter, external.

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Related internet links

Universität Hohenheim

European Geosciences Union

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