CO2-removal News

Peer-reviewed Publications

Jordan et al. (2026): On the pH-dependent export of anthropogenic alkalinity in pore water through soil: Implications for enhanced rock weathering

Jacob S Jordan, Mohammad Afzal Shadab, Valentina Prigiobbe, Yoshiki Kanzaki, Noah Planavsky and Chris Reinhard,IN: CDRxiv, https://doi.org/10.70212/cdrxiv.2026489.v1

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a highly scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy. In ERW deployments, pulverized mineral feedstock is spread on agricultural or managed lands. Upon the dissolution or weathering of the feedstock while exposed to the elements, cations are released, altering the charge balance of the pore water in the soil. The introduction of the divalent cations calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) catalyzes the conversion of CO₂ to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), principally bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻). The efficacy of ERW hinges on the maintenance and export of HCO₃⁻ through the soil. To explore the mechanistic underpinnings of ERW, the authors develop a theoretical framework for the pH-dependent adsorption and desorption of cation solutes onto charged mineral surfaces in a porous medium.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Slessarev et al. (2026): Assessing the Effect of a Deep-Rooted Grass on Belowground Carbon Storage in Cultivated Land: Insights From a Multi-Site US Study

Eric W. Slessarev, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Kyungjin Min, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Srabani Das, Randall D. Jackson, Julie D. Jastrow, Megan Kan, Sandeep Kumar, Todd Longbottom, Karis J. McFarlane, Erik Oerter, Brian K. Richards, G. Philip Robertson, Gregg R. Sanford, Erin E. Nuccio, IN: Earth’s Future, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF007102

Agriculture depletes soil organic carbon (SOC), partly due to the exclusion of deep-rooted perennials. Reintroducing deep-rooted perennials to cultivated land may help to mitigate SOC loss. The authors quantified the effect of deep roots on SOC by comparing 8 to 30 year-old stands of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) with paired annual row crop fields at 12 sites across the central and eastern USA.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Fernandes et al. (2026): Exploring carbon dioxide removal strategies to help decarbonise Europe using high-resolution modelling

Ricardo Fernandes, Alberto Alamia, Sina Kalweit and Marta Victoria, IN: arXiv, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.25663

The electrification of energy demand across sectors, powered by solar and wind generation, is the best strategy for achieving carbon neutrality. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies are also expected to play a crucial role by providing net-negative emissions that can offset residual CO₂ emissions, including those from cement manufacturing. While previous studies have assessed the role of CDRs in Europe’s decarbonisation, most either focus solely on combinations of biogenic point-source capture and direct air capture (DAC) coupled with underground sequestration, or consider multiple CDR strategies at low spatial and temporal resolution, thereby limiting the representation of linkages amongst technologies. In this study, the authors extend the sector-coupled European energy system model PyPSA-Eur to include afforestation, perennialisation, biochar, and enhanced rock weathering (ERW) as additional CDR strategies.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Yamuza-Magdaleno et al. (2026): Temperature-driven decline in recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon weakens coastal macrophyte’s blue carbon storage potential

Alba Yamuza-Magdaleno, Tomás Azcárate-García, Luis Gonzalo Egea, Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado, Hauke Reuter, Fernando Guillermo Brun and Pedro Beca-Carretero, IN: Communications Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03417-y

Marine macrophytes, including seagrasses and seaweeds, are major contributors to the marine carbon cycle through the release of dissolved organic carbon, a fraction of which is recalcitrant (resistant to microbial degradation for weeks to months), thereby supporting long-term carbon storage. Here the authors tested how warming and invasion by a non-native seagrass affect carbon dynamics in temperate macrophyte communities from southern Iberia using controlled mesocosm experiments across three temperatures.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Mehnert et al. (2026): Long-term scenarios and energy system impacts of technological carbon dioxide removal deployment in Finland

Johanna Mehnert, Kati Koponen, Tomi Lindroos, Tiina Koljonen and Heidi Kirppu, IN: Environmental Research: Energy, https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ae57b0

This study analyzed energy system impacts of technological carbon dioxide removal (CDR) deployment in Finland. The authors modeled long-term scenarios up to 2050 for four CDR technologies: bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), biochar soil amendment, direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), and enhanced weathering of mining rock waste (EW). An integrated energy economic model compiled using the TIMES-model generator was used to produce cost-minimal development scenarios for Finland’s energy system, including CDR technologies. Three scenarios were modeled: one without a specific CDR target and two with low- and high CDR targets.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Li et al. (2026): A critical review of carbon emission mitigation, carbon sink expansion, and leveraging ecosystem services

Qingshan Li, Lele Zhang, Lei Zhao and Jiaoting Peng, IN: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2026.2651550

Achieving climate stabilization requires integrating carbon emission mitigation, carbon sink expansion, and ecosystem service leveraging, yet information on their synergistic deployment remains fragmented. This study critically synthesizes current knowledge across these three pillars to provide a unified framework for transformative climate action. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature and international reports up to June 2024, the review analyzes sectoral emission patterns, mitigation technologies, sink capacities, and ecosystem-based interventions.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Slessarev et al. (2026): Assessing the Effect of a Deep-Rooted Grass on Belowground Carbon Storage in Cultivated Land: Insights From a Multi-Site US Study

Eric W. Slessarev, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Kyungjin Min, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Srabani Das, Randall D. Jackson, Julie D. Jastrow, Megan Kan, Sandeep Kumar, Todd Longbottom, Karis J. McFarlane, Erik Oerter, Brian K. Richards, G. Philip Robertson, Gregg R. Sanford, Erin E. Nuccio, IN: Earth’s Future, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF007102

Agriculture depletes soil organic carbon (SOC), partly due to the exclusion of deep-rooted perennials. Reintroducing deep-rooted perennials to cultivated land may help to mitigate SOC loss. The authors quantified the effect of deep roots on SOC by comparing 8 to 30 year-old stands of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) with paired annual row crop fields at 12 sites across the central and eastern USA. They hypothesized that switchgrass would store more root C and SOC than neighboring shallow-rooted annual crops, and that these effects would extend deeper than 30 cm. They also evaluated whether switchgrass stimulates decomposition of SOC at depth using radiocarbon (14C). Finally, they explored whether the effect of switchgrass on SOC is moderated by soil chemical and physical properties.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Geissler et al. (2026): Geospatial Cost Comparison of Thermal Energy Technologies: A Sorbent-based Direct Air Capture Case Study

Caleb H. Geissler, Robin X. Zou, Mario Ramos, Benjamin M. Adams, Bjorn J. Brooks, Michael J. May, Erin N. Mayfield, Luke J. Venstrom, Jonathan D. Ogland-Hand, IN: Frontiers in Energy Research, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2026.1703724

This study uses detailed process models for heat generated from sedimentary basin geothermal, concentrated solar, and a heat pump to generate geospatial results across the US, and explores the key parameters that make each energy source preferred. The authors use sorbent-based direct air capture (DAC) as a case study heat application and examine both the levelized cost of heat (LCOH), and the levelized cost of carbon removal (LCOR).

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Bhaumik et al. (2026): Resilience of the gelatinous zooplankton species Oikopleura dioica to ocean alkalinity enhancement

Amrita Bhaumik, Nicolás Sánchez, Silvan Urs Goldenberg, Synne Spjelkavik, María Couret, Ulf Riebesell, Maarten Boersma, Cornelia Jaspers, IN: PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0344503

Here, the authors assessed the response of a key gelatinous zooplankton species to OAE in a 53-day mesocosm experiment in a temperate Norwegian fjord. Oikopleura dioica is a globally distributed zooplankton member, known for its high secondary production capacity and key role in vertical carbon flux. O. dioica continuously produces mucous feeding structures (‘houses’), which efficiently retain submicron particles. Once discarded, these houses can sink rapidly and contribute to vertical carbon exports. To test the impacts of OAE on O. dioica abundances and their house production capacity, the authors exposed natural plankton communities to non-CO₂-equilibrated OAE scenarios spanning a ΔTA range from 0–600 μmol kg⁻¹, using silicate-based (olivine) and calcium-based (slaked lime) minerals. Population dynamics of O. dioica were monitored alongside the plankton community, and targeted bottle incubations were used to quantify house production and feeding rates.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Merrill-Glover et al. (2026): Reduce, Remove, Avoid? Making a Market for Peatland Carbon Credits in the UK

Aneurin Merrill-Glover, James Palmer and Roosa, IN: Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/reduce-remove-avoid-making-a-market-for-peatland-carbon-credits-i/

This article tracks ongoing attempts to ameliorate the position of peatland carbon credits within the categorical and calculative structures of emergent natural capital markets.

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