Carbon Sequestration: The key for Climate Change reversal
Ashik.M.A on Fri Oct 29 2021Carbon sequestration is the long-term removal, capture, or sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow or reverse atmospheric CO2 pollution and to mitigate or reverse climatic change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in land use and agricultural practices, such as converting crop and livestock grazing land into land for non-crop fast growing plants. Artificial processes have been devised to produce similar effects, including large-scale, artificial capture and sequestration of industrially produced CO2 using subsurface saline aquifers, reservoirs, ocean water , aging oil fields , or other carbon sinks, bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, bio-char, ocean fertilization, enhanced weathering, and direct air capture when combined with storage. The idea is to stabilize carbon in solid and dissolved forms so that it doesn’t cause the atmosphere to warm. The process shows tremendous promise for reducing the human “carbon footprint.”
There are three main types of carbon sequestration: biological and geological and technological.
Biological Carbon sequestration
Biological carbon sequestration is the storage of carbon dioxide in vegetation such as grasslands or forests, as well as in soils and oceans.
Carbon sequestration in oceans
Oceans absorb roughly 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted from human activities annually. Carbon goes in both directions in the ocean. When carbon dioxide releases into the atmosphere from the ocean, it creates what is called a positive atmospheric flux. A negative flux refers to the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide. Think of these fluxes as an inhale and an exhale, where the net effect of these opposing directions determines the overall effect. Colder and nutrient rich parts are able to hold more oxygen than warmer parts. Therefore, the polar regions typically serve as carbon sinks. By 2100, most of the global ocean is expected to be made up of carbon dioxide, potentially altering the ocean chemistry and lowering the pH of the water, making it more acidic.
Carbon sequestration in soil
Carbon is sequestrated in soil by plants through photosynthesis and can be stored as soil organic carbon (SOC). Agro ecosystems can degrade and deplete the SOC levels but this carbon deficit opens up the opportunity to store carbon through new land management practices. Soil can also store carbon as carbonates. Such carbonates are created over thousands of years when carbon dioxide dissolves in water and percolates the soil, combining with calcium and magnesium minerals, forming “caliche” in desert and arid soil.
Carbonates are inorganic and have the ability to store carbon for more than 70,000 years, while soil organic matter typically stores carbon for several decades. Scientists are working on ways to accelerate the carbonate forming process by adding finely crushed silicates to the soil in order to store carbon for longer periods of time.
Geological carbon sequestration
Geological carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon dioxide in underground geologic formations, or rocks. Typically, carbon dioxide is captured from an industrial source, such as steel or cement production, or an energy-related source, such as a power plant or natural gas processing facility and injected into porous rocks for long-term storage.
Carbon capture and storage can allow the use of fossil fuels until another energy source is introduced on a large scale.
Technological carbon sequestration
Scientists are exploring new ways to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere using innovative technologies. Researchers are also starting to look beyond removal of carbon dioxide and are now looking at more ways it can be used as a resource.
Graphene production:
The use of carbon dioxide as a raw material to produce graphene, a technological material. Graphene is used to create screens for smart phones and other tech devices. Graphene production is limited to specific industries but is an example of how carbon dioxide can be used as a resource and a solution in reducing emissions from the atmosphere.
Direct air capture (DAC):
A means by which to capture carbon directly from air using advanced technology plants . However, this process is energy intensive and expensive, ranging from $500-$800 per ton of carbon removed. While the techniques such as direct air capture can be effective, they are still too costly to implement on a mass scale.
Engineered molecules:
Scientists are engineering molecules that can change shape by creating new kinds of compounds capable of singling out and capturing carbon dioxide from the air. The engineered molecules act as a filter, only attracting the element it was engineered to seek.
Carbon Sequestration: The key for Climate Change reversal
Carbon sequestration is the long-term removal, capture, or sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow or reverse atmospheric CO2 pollution and to mitigate or reverse climatic change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in land use and agricultural practices, such as converting crop and livestock grazing land into land for non-crop fast growing plants. Artificial processes have been devised to produce similar effects, including large-scale, artificial capture and sequestration of industrially produced CO2 using subsurface saline aquifers, reservoirs, ocean water , aging oil fields , or other carbon sinks, bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, bio-char, ocean fertilization, enhanced weathering, and direct air capture when combined with storage. The idea is to stabilize carbon in solid and dissolved forms so that it doesn’t cause the atmosphere to warm. The process shows tremendous promise for reducing the human “carbon footprint.”
There are three main types of carbon sequestration: biological and geological and technological.
Biological Carbon sequestration
Biological carbon sequestration is the storage of carbon dioxide in vegetation such as grasslands or forests, as well as in soils and oceans.
Carbon sequestration in oceans
Oceans absorb roughly 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted from human activities annually. Carbon goes in both directions in the ocean. When carbon dioxide releases into the atmosphere from the ocean, it creates what is called a positive atmospheric flux. A negative flux refers to the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide. Think of these fluxes as an inhale and an exhale, where the net effect of these opposing directions determines the overall effect. Colder and nutrient rich parts are able to hold more oxygen than warmer parts. Therefore, the polar regions typically serve as carbon sinks. By 2100, most of the global ocean is expected to be made up of carbon dioxide, potentially altering the ocean chemistry and lowering the pH of the water, making it more acidic.
Carbon sequestration in soil
Carbon is sequestrated in soil by plants through photosynthesis and can be stored as soil organic carbon (SOC). Agro ecosystems can degrade and deplete the SOC levels but this carbon deficit opens up the opportunity to store carbon through new land management practices. Soil can also store carbon as carbonates. Such carbonates are created over thousands of years when carbon dioxide dissolves in water and percolates the soil, combining with calcium and magnesium minerals, forming “caliche” in desert and arid soil.
Carbonates are inorganic and have the ability to store carbon for more than 70,000 years, while soil organic matter typically stores carbon for several decades. Scientists are working on ways to accelerate the carbonate forming process by adding finely crushed silicates to the soil in order to store carbon for longer periods of time.
Geological carbon sequestration
Geological carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon dioxide in underground geologic formations, or rocks. Typically, carbon dioxide is captured from an industrial source, such as steel or cement production, or an energy-related source, such as a power plant or natural gas processing facility and injected into porous rocks for long-term storage.
Carbon capture and storage can allow the use of fossil fuels until another energy source is introduced on a large scale.
Technological carbon sequestration
Scientists are exploring new ways to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere using innovative technologies. Researchers are also starting to look beyond removal of carbon dioxide and are now looking at more ways it can be used as a resource.
Graphene production:
The use of carbon dioxide as a raw material to produce graphene, a technological material. Graphene is used to create screens for smart phones and other tech devices. Graphene production is limited to specific industries but is an example of how carbon dioxide can be used as a resource and a solution in reducing emissions from the atmosphere.
Direct air capture (DAC):
A means by which to capture carbon directly from air using advanced technology plants . However, this process is energy intensive and expensive, ranging from $500-$800 per ton of carbon removed. While the techniques such as direct air capture can be effective, they are still too costly to implement on a mass scale.
Engineered molecules:
Scientists are engineering molecules that can change shape by creating new kinds of compounds capable of singling out and capturing carbon dioxide from the air. The engineered molecules act as a filter, only attracting the element it was engineered to seek.