Tag: carbon sequestration

Peer-reviewed Publications

Patil & Khaladkar (2026): Bamboo for soil conservation and carbon sequestration: a dual approach to climate mitigation

Sonal Patil and Hrishikesh Khaladkar, IN: CAB Reviews, https://doi.org/10.5555/20260362810

Soil erosion and climate change are two interconnected environmental challenges that threaten ecosystems, agricultural productivity and global sustainability. Bamboo, a fast-growing perennial grass with dense root systems and high biomass turnover, offers a unique dual solution by stabilizing soil and sequestering carbon. This review synthesizes existing research on bamboo’s role in controlling soil erosion, enhancing soil health, and capturing carbon in above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass and soil organic carbon pools.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Lee et al. (2026): Quantitative estimation on carbon sequestration potential of agricultural by-products biochar using chemical oxidation

Eun-Ji Lee, Won-Gune Jeong, Ga-Been Lee and Kitae Baek, IN: Bioresource Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2026.135464

To accurately evaluate biochar’s carbon sequestration potential, it is essential to quantify the unstable carbon in biochar that soil microbes can mineralize. Chemical oxidation has been used in most studies as a rapid method to estimate the unstable carbon in biochar. However, it remains unclear whether the unstable carbon fraction obtained by chemical oxidation corresponds to the mineralized carbon in soil. This study aimed to establish a chemical oxidation method that matches the chemically oxidized carbon to the fraction mineralized in soil, thereby enabling an accurate assessment of the carbon sequestration potential of biochar. By comparing oxidants and doses, the chemical oxidation method was optimized, and a condition of 30 mmol K₂Cr₂O₇/30 mmol H₂SO₄/g biochar was proposed.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Suhrhoff et al. (2026): An Ecosystem of Carbon Dioxide Removal Reviews – Part 3: Enhanced Weathering

Tim Jesper Suhrhoff, Christiana Dietzen, Tyler Kukla, Abby Lunstrum, Tom Reershemius et al., IN: CDR.Xiv (Preprint), https://doi.org/10.70212/cdrxiv.2026417.v1

Enhanced Weathering (EW) is an emerging Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) approach within a growing portfolio of mitigation strategies, offering the potential for durable CDR alongside agronomic co-benefits. As interest in CDR increases, EW is transitioning from a primarily scientific concept toward early-stage implementation, requiring a comprehensive synthesis of the current evidence base. This systematic review focuses primarily on soil-based EW using silicate rock feedstocks. Across empirical and modelling studies, area-normalized CDR fluxes have a median value of 0.84 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year (tCO₂ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and span several orders of magnitude. The variance in reported fluxes reflects not only context-dependent differences in EW performance, but also the diversity of quantification approaches, which differ by use case and vary in terms of their system boundaries and treatment of loss processes. When scaled globally, evidence from empirical constraints and/or modelling approaches converges on a maximum technical CDR potential of ~0.2–2 GtCO₂ yr⁻¹, though some estimates are higher. Significant uncertainty remains regarding the magnitude, persistence, and timing of loss processes after initial CDR has occurred, including secondary phase formation and cation exchange, and in how these losses depend on local soil and climate conditions and deployment strategies. Interactions with soil organic carbon introduce additional uncertainty but also the potential for increasing total CDR. Beyond CDR, EW is consistently associated with improvements in soil properties and crop productivity. Its deployment within managed land systems creates opportunities for synergies with other land-based CDR approaches, enabling combined inorganic and biological carbon sequestration. At the same time, EW raises important socio-economic and governance considerations, including distributional impacts, environmental risks, and conditional public support.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Alikhanova et al. (2026): Greening drylands: The potential and limits of afforestation as a nature-based solution in the Aralkum Desert

Shahzoda Alikhanova, Alison Smith, Cristina Tarantino and Joseph William Bull, IN: Land Use Policy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108204

Dryland afforestation is increasingly deployed as a Nature-based Solution (NbS) for climate mitigation and ecosystem restoration, yet its long-term effectiveness remains uncertain because carbon gains may be offset by biophysical trade-offs and water limitations. Existing assessments rarely integrate carbon sequestration, surface albedo, and climate vulnerability, limiting understanding of how these processes interact to determine restoration outcomes. Here the authors present the first integrated assessment of large-scale afforestation in the South Aral Sea – a region whose near-complete desiccation may have shifted the area from a carbon sink toward a source of emissions. The authors evaluate the current carbon pool, surface albedo effects, and climate vulnerability to assess both the potential and inherent limits of dryland afforestation as an NbS.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Mengistu et al. (2026): Ethiopia’s green legacy initiative enhances carbon stock and carbon dioxide sequestration across diverse landscapes

Dejene K. Mengistu, Hailu Terefe, Basazen F. Lakew, Abiyou Tilahun and Bogale N. Hailemariam, IN: Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-61968-8

Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) is one of the world’s largest landscape restoration programs, yet its contribution to carbon sequestration across diverse land uses and agroecological zones remains poorly quantified. This study assessed the effects of GLI interventions on biomass accumulation, carbon storage (CS), and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) sequestration across 21 districts representing major implementation regions of Ethiopia. A total of 8,209 plants belonging to 90 species and 42 families were measured across four land-use types and eight management practices. Aboveground biomass, carbon stock, and CO₂e sequestration were estimated using species-appropriate allometric equations.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Burrell et al. (2026): Rewilded scrubland as a carbon sink: allometric models to improve biomass estimation under herbivory

Nancy C Burrell, Marc Macias-Fauria, Elizabeth Jeffers and Katherine J Willis, IN: Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae83cc

Scrubland ecosystems are increasingly recognised for their biodiversity value and resilience to climatic stress, but their contribution to carbon sequestration remains poorly quantified, particularly in temperate rewilded landscapes. Existing carbon accounting approaches, developed mainly for closed‐canopy forests and agroforestry systems, do not reflect the structural complexity or biomass allocation patterns of scrub, where species commonly form multi‐stemmed stands and invest heavily in belowground biomass (BGB) under herbivory. Using destructive sampling of 290 individuals from five dominant scrub taxa at the rewilded Knepp Estate (UK), the authors developed taxon‐specific allometric equations incorporating height, canopy area, basal stem diameter and browsing intensity.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Ghobadian et al. (2026): Biochar from poplar sawdust for digestate nutrient recovery and potential for long-term carbon sequestration

Saman Ghobadian, Osvaldo Romero Romero, Matthias Kraume, Meisam Tabatabaei, Mortaza Aghbashlo and Nader Marzban, IN: Chemical Papers, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-026-07179-7

Poplar sawdust-derived biochar was studied as a multifunctional material for nutrient recovery from digestate and for its potential for long-term carbon sequestration in soil. Biochar was produced via pyrolysis at 300–900 °C for 10–40 min. Considering solid yield, carbon sequestration, and phosphate removal, 500 °C for 20 min was selected as the optimal pyrolysis condition. Biochar was further characterized and tested in slurry adsorption experiments.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Borbhuyan et al. (2026): Wetland Type Matters: Tree Community Structure and Carbon Sequestration Dynamics Along a Tropical River Basin

Samim Borbhuyan, Nirjhar Das, Kasturi Chakraborty, Kamini Kanta Sarma, Dibyendu Adhikari and Tapati Das, IN:Environmental Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02496-z

Wetlands are among the most productive and ecologically significant ecosystems on the earth, offering a broad spectrum of ecosystem services including water purification, flood regulation, habitat provision, and climate regulation. In light of current global climate challenges, their capacity for carbon storage has become increasingly important, positioning wetlands as key components in climate change mitigation strategies. This study attempts a comprehensive understanding of the contributions of different types of tropical wetlands to ecological diversity and carbon dynamics. The findings of this study aim to inform climate action, support conservation planning, and strengthen local livelihoods. In the longer term, the study underscores the importance of tropical wetlands in regional and global carbon cycling, with clear relevance for wetland conservation and climate policy. For this study, the authors selected three morphologically and hydrologically distinct wetlands, namely, Fulbari Anua (oxbow lake, OL), Bakri Haor (floodplain wetland, FPW), and Sone Beel (perennial wetland, PW) in the Barak basin of Assam, northeast India, within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Tree individuals were randomly sampled from both the aquatic zone (permanently inundated areas) and the riparian zone (seasonally flooded margins) of the selected wetlands. Comparison of the tree community composition across different wetland types revealed a total of 30 tree species representing 18 families.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Joloro et al. (2026): Impact of land use change on the long-term economic value of carbon sequestration in Central Alborz, Iran

Halime Joloro, Ghasem Ali Dianati Tilaki, Hadi Memarian and Yahya Kooch, IN: Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-58621-9

Land use change plays a pivotal role in determining the economic value of ecosystem services, especially carbon sequestration. This study investigates the long-term effects of different land use transitions on the valuation of carbon sequestration in the Kojur watershed, located in the central Alborz region of Iran, over five time periods: 2003–2013, 2003–2023, 2013–2023, 2023–2035, and 2023–2050. By integrating spatial datasets into the InVEST modeling framework, land use scenarios were evaluated comparatively to estimate the net present value (NPV). Also, to improve the accuracy of estimating the economic value of carbon sequestration, the future trend of carbon price was forecasted using ARIMA and GARCH time series models to realistically incorporate price changes in future periods into NPV calculations.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Zhang et al. (2026): Microbial-mediated soil organic carbon sequestration under biochar application in Chinese agricultural soils

Gehao Zhang, Yang Liao, Jianzhao Wu, Kangyu Wang, Yufei Zhang, Zhouping Shangguan, Yan Fang and Lei Deng, IN: Carbon Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-026-00290-4

Biochar can enhance soil carbon sequestration. However, the role of microbial mechanisms in regulating these gains remains unclear. This study compiled biochar experiments conducted in China, including 392 observations and 2613 effect sizes related to SOC and microbial attributes, to evaluate the effects of biochar application on cropland soil organic carbon stocks from a microbiological perspective.

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