Tag: enhanced weathering

Peer-reviewed Publications

Xu et al. (2024): Enhanced silicate weathering accelerates forest carbon sequestration by stimulating the soil mineral carbon pump

Tongtong Xu, Zuoqiang Yuan, Sara Vicca, Daniel S Goll, Guochen Li, Luxiang Lin, Hui Chen, Boyuan Bi, Qiong Chen, Chenlu Li, Xing Wang, Chao Wang, Zhanqing Hao, Yunting Fang, David J Beerling IN: Global Change Biology, 30, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17464

Enhanced silicate rock weathering (ERW) aims at promoting soil inorganic carbon sequestration by accelerating geochemical weathering processes. Theoretically, ERW may also impact soil organic carbon (SOC), the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems, but experimental evidence for this is largely lacking. Here, the authors conducted a 2-year field experiment in tropical rubber plantations in the southeast of China to evaluate the effects of wollastonite powder additions (0, 0.25, and 0.5 kg m-2) on both soil organic and inorganic carbon at 0-10 cm depth.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Hasemer et al. (2024): Measuring Enhanced Weathering: inorganic carbon-based approaches may be required to complement cation-based approaches

Heath D. Hasemer, Justin Borevitz, Wolfram Buss IN: Frontiers in Climate, doi: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1352825

This study compares current measurement approaches that focus on quantifying inorganic carbon and cations within the soil and leachate. Cation-based calculations of CDR were compared to inorganic carbon-based calculations of CDR and soil results were compared to leachate results. The recovery rate of cations in the soil fraction was also tested. Three different ground silicate minerals/rocks – basalt, olivine and wollastonite, were mixed with two different soils and were allowed to weather over 16 weeks in pots with and without plants under different watering regimes and the application of an acidifying fertiliser. Soil and leachate samples were analysed for cations by ICP-OES and inorganic carbon by direct acidification and total alkalinity titration (in leachate only).

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Peer-reviewed Publications

De Marco et al. (2024): Energy demand and savings opportunities in the supply of limestone and olivine-rich rocks for geochemical carbon dioxide removal

Serena De Marco, Stefano Caserini, Thorben Amann, Mario Grosso IN: Environ. Res. Lett., 19, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad4efb

The large-scale implementation of geochemical Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) approaches such as Enhanced Weathering (EW) and Ocean Liming (OL) will require the extraction and processing of large amounts of limestone and olivine-rich rocks. Based on a literature review, surface mining, comminution, their related sub-stages, and long-haul transportation have carefully been surveyed to elucidate the order of magnitude of the energy demand, the technical challenges posed by each operation, and the potential energy-savings achievable by applying opportune strategies.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Oppon et al. (2024): Sustainability performance of enhanced weathering across countries: A triple bottom line approach

Eunice Oppon, S.C. Lenny Koh, Rafael Eufrasio IN: Energy Economicy, 136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2024.107722

There is limited research about the broad sustainability impacts in rolling enhanced weathering (EW) on a large scale. This research assesses the triple bottom line sustainability of EW in eight top-emitting countries using an extended input-output model.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Epihov et al. (2024): Iron Chelation in Soil: Scalable Biotechnology for Accelerating Carbon Dioxide Removal by Enhanced Rock Weathering

Dimitar Z. Epihov, Steven A. Banwart, Steve P. McGrath, David P. Martin, Isabella L. Steeley, Vicky Cobbold, Ilsa B. Kantola, Michael D. Masters, Evan H. DeLucia, David J. Beerling IN: Environmental Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c10146

Here, the authors combine multiomics analyses of belowground microbiomes, laboratory-based dissolution studies, and incubation investigations of soils from field enhanced rock weathering (EW) trials to build the case for manipulating iron chelators in soil to increase EW efficiency and lower costs. Microbial siderophores are high-affinity, highly selective iron (Fe) chelators that enhance the uptake of Fe from soil minerals into cells. Applying RNA-seq metatranscriptomics and shotgun metagenomics to soils and basalt grains from EW field trials revealed that microbial communities on basalt grains significantly upregulate siderophore biosynthesis gene expression relative to microbiomes of the surrounding soil. Separate in vitro laboratory incubation studies showed that micromolar solutions of siderophores and high-affinity synthetic chelator (ethylenediamine-N,N′-bis-2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, EDDHA) accelerate EW to increase CDR rates. Building on these findings, we develop a potential biotechnology pathway for accelerating EW using the synthetic Fe-chelator EDDHA that is commonly used in agronomy to alleviate the Fe deficiency in high pH soils.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

McDermott et al. (2024): Enhanced weathering for CO2 removal using carbonate-rich crushed returned concrete; a pilot study from SE Ireland

Frank McDermott, Maurice Bryson, Ruadhan Magee, David van Acken IN: Applied Geochemistry, 169, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2024.106056

A 1.21-ha pilot study in SE Ireland investigated crushed returned concrete (CRC), applied at a rate of 7.5 tonnes/ha as a soil amendment for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by enhanced weathering (EW) over a 10-month period.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Clarkson et al. (2024): A review of measurement for quantification of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering in soil

Matthew O. Clarkson, Christina S. Larkin, Philipp Swoboda, Tom Reershemius, T. Jesper Suhrhoff, Cara N. Maesano, James S. Campbell IN: Frontiers in Climate, 6, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1345224

Terrestrial enhanced weathering (EW) involves the acceleration of natural weathering processes via the deployment of crushed rock feedstocks, typically Ca- and Mg-rich silicates, in soils. While models predict this has the potential to remove multiple gigatonnes of CO2 annually, as an open-system pathway, the measurement (monitoring), reporting, and verification (MRV) of carbon removal and storage is challenging. Here the authors provide a review of the current literature showing the state-of-play of different methods for monitoring EW. The authors focus on geochemical characterization of weathering processes at the weathering site itself, acknowledging that the final storage of carbon is largely in the oceans, with potential losses occurring during transfer.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Honvault et al. (2024): Additive effects of basalt enhanced weathering and biochar co-application on carbon sequestration, soil nutrient status and plant performance in a mesocosm experiment

Nicolas Honvault, Marie-Laure Tiouchichine, Joana Sauze, Clément Piel, Damien Landais, Sébastien Devidal, Emmanuel Gritti, Delphine Bosch, Alexandru Milcu IN: Applied Geochemistry 169, 106054, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2024.106054

Co-deployment of a portfolio of carbon removal technologies is anticipated in order to remove several gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and meet climate targets. However, co-application effects between carbon removal technologies have rarely been examined, despite multiple recent perspectives suggesting potential synergies between basalt enhanced weathering and biochar application. To study the co-application effects of basalt for enhanced weathering and biochar on carbon sequestration, along with related co-benefits and risks, the authors conducted a fully replicated factorial mesocosm experiment with wheat. 

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Peer-reviewed Publications

De Marco et al. (2024): Energy demand and saving opportunities of limestone and olivine-rich rocks supply for geochemical carbon dioxide removal

Serena De Marco, Stefano Caserini, Thorben Amann, Mario Grosso IN: Environmental Research Letters, DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ad4efb

Based on a literature review, surface mining, comminution, their related sub-stages, and long-haul transportation have carefully been surveyed to elucidate the order of magnitude of the energy demand, the technical challenges posed by each operation, and the potential energy-savings achievable by applying opportune strategies. This work confirms the significant energy-saving opportunities in fine and ultrafine grinding (one of the most energy-consuming activities along the raw material supply chain) as underlined by previous studies, and, in addition, it focuses on limestone and olivine-rich rocks providing new outcomes, it analyses data from a climate change perspective and extends calculations and discussion to transportation.

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