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Add Desert 'carbon Farming' To Curb CO2

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<br>Desert 'carbon farming' to curb CO2<br>
<br>1 August 2013<br>
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<br>By Matt McGrath<br>
<br>Environment reporter, BBC News<br>
<br>Scientists say that planting great deals of jatropha trees in desert areas might be an efficient method of suppressing emissions of CO2.<br>
<br>Dubbed "carbon farming", scientists say the idea is economically competitive with high-tech carbon capture and storage tasks.<br>
<br>But critics state the idea could be have unforeseen, unfavorable effects including increasing food prices.<br>
<br>The research study has actually been published, external in the journal Earth System Dynamics.<br>
<br>Seeds of change<br>
<br>Jatropha curcas is a plant that came from Central America and is extremely well adapted to severe conditions consisting of exceptionally dry deserts.<br>
<br>It is currently grown as a biofuel, external in some parts of the world because its seeds can produce oil.<br>
<br>In this research study, German scientists showed that a person hectare of jatropha might capture approximately 25 tonnes of co2 from the environment every year. The researchers based their estimates on trees currently growing in trial plots in Egypt and in the Negev desert.<br>
<br>"The results are frustrating," stated Prof Klaus Becker, from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.<br>
<br>"There was great development, an excellent reaction from these plants. I feel there will be no issue trying it on a much larger scale, for instance 10 thousand hectares in the start," he stated.<br>
<br>According to the researchers a plantation that would cover 3 percent of the Arabian desert would take in all the CO2 produced by automobiles and trucks in Germany over a twenty years period.<br>
<br>The researchers say that a vital element of the plan would be the availability of desalination centers. This indicates that initially, any plantations would be restricted to seaside areas.<br>
<br>They are intending 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 people produce, the planting of jatropha might be an excellent, short-term option to environment modification.<br>
<br>"I believe it is a great idea due to the fact that we are actually extracting co2 from the atmosphere - and it is completely different between extracting and preventing."<br>
<br>According to the scientist's computations the costs of curbing carbon dioxide through the planting of trees would be in 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).<br>
<br>A number of nations are presently trialling this innovation, external but it has yet to be deployed commercially.<br>
<br>Growing jatropha not only absorbs CO2 but has other benefits. The plants would assist to make desert areas more habitable, and the plant's seeds can be gathered for biofuel say the researchers, supplying a financial return.<br>
<br>"Jatropha is ideal to be turned into biokerosene - it is even much better than biodiesel," stated Prof Becker.<br>
<br>But other experts in this location are not convinced. They point to the fact that in 2007 and 2008 great deals 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 very successful in managing dry conditions.<br>
<br>Lucy Hurn is the biofuels campaign manager for the charity, Actionaid. She states that while was when seen as the excellent, green hope the reality was really different.<br>
<br>"When jatropha was introduced it was seen as a wonder crop, it would grow on scrubland or limited land," she said.<br>
<br>"But there are often individuals who need marginal land to graze their animals, they are getting food from that area - we wouldn't class the land as limited."<br>
<br>She mentioned that jatropha is extremely hazardous and can contaminate the land it is grown on, even in a desert. And she also had concerns about the fairness of the idea.<br>
<br>"It is still somebody else's land. Why go in and grow these huge plantations to deal with a problem these people didn't really cause?"<br>
<br>Follow Matt on Twitter, external.<br>
<br>More on this story<br>
<br>'Carpets of seaweed' grown for fuel. Video, 00:03:05'Carpets of seaweed' grown for fuel<br>
<br>1 July 2013<br>
<br>Biofuels are 'irrational technique'<br>
<br>Published<br>
<br>15 April 2013<br>
<br>Related web links<br>
<br>Universität Hohenheim<br>
<br>European Geosciences Union<br>
<br>The BBC is not responsible for the material of external sites.<br>