Pathways, roundabouts, roadblocks, and shortcuts to safe and sustainable deployment of enhanced rock weathering in agriculture

Araujo, Francisco S. M.; Jariwala, Hiral; Khalidy, Reza; Haque, Fatima; Chiang, Yi Wai

doi:10.3389/feart.2023.1215930

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…A recent study indicates the promising potential of using basalt rock powder on non-arable soil in South Africa, offering economic benefits and improving food security [124]. Furthermore, the ground silicates can be applied as a liming alternative instead of limestone and dolomite which could release CO 2 upon reaction in slightly acidic soil [125].…”

Section: Soil Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, monitoring and verification methods need to be agreed, and it is not clear yet whether this should be based on analysis of soil water, solids or gas, remote sensing, or all or a combination of those, and which range of parameters and analyses should be investigated [125]. In particular, there are two pathways for carbon storage via EW, either through bicarbonate ions in water, or via precipitation of carbonates, depending on soil and climate conditions, and this will need to be considered in carbon accounting and monitoring and verification [125]. Clear guidelines, incentives, and a favorable investment environment should be provided to promote the deployment of EW technology [162].…”

Section: Other Potential Risks and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, establishing long-term CDR monitoring and liability frame- Policy and regulatory frameworks need to be established for the large-scale implementation of EW. Therefore, monitoring and verification methods need to be agreed, and it is not clear yet whether this should be based on analysis of soil water, solids or gas, remote sensing, or all or a combination of those, and which range of parameters and analyses should be investigated [125]. In particular, there are two pathways for carbon storage via EW, either through bicarbonate ions in water, or via precipitation of carbonates, depending on soil and climate conditions, and this will need to be considered in carbon accounting and monitoring and verification [125].…”

Section: Other Potential Risks and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploratory Review on Environmental Aspects of Enhanced Weathering as a Carbon Dioxide Removal Method

Vandeginste,

Lim,

2024

Minerals

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The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel burning and deforestation has caused global warming and an increase in extreme weather events. To complement the shift towards clean energy, it is crucial to adopt methods for carbon dioxide removal, known as negative emission technologies. Enhanced weathering is one such approach that involves accelerating the natural process of rock weathering by spreading finely ground rocks over large areas, such as agricultural land or coastal areas. This exploratory review paper provides an overview of the fundamental mechanisms behind enhanced weathering, and outlines the techniques for its implementation. The environmental benefits of enhanced weathering are highlighted, including carbon dioxide removal, and improvement of soil fertility. Furthermore, potential impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity are examined, along with the effects on water, soil and air quality. The paper also considers the risks and challenges associated with large-scale implementation and long-term stability of enhanced weathering. Additionally, the integration of enhanced weathering with Sustainable Development Goals is explored, along with the potential co-benefits and trade-offs with other sustainability objectives. To conclude, this exploratory review paper summarizes the key findings and proposes avenues for further research in this field of enhanced weathering.

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Section: Soil Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other Potential Risks and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other Potential Risks and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploratory Review on Environmental Aspects of Enhanced Weathering as a Carbon Dioxide Removal Method

Vandeginste,

Lim,

2024

Minerals

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“…Enhanced weathering is an open-system CDR pathway and therefore directly monitoring weathering rates, and ultimately calculating net CDR, is challenging. The complexity of this open system presents a significant barrier to scaling the technology (Santos et al, 2023). Under the definition of CDR as a process involving both the capture and durable storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Smith et al, 2023), the capture phase refers to the formation of bicarbonate at the weathering site with storage occurring primarily as dissolved bicarbonate in the ocean and long lived aquifers (Campbell et al, 2022;Smith et al, 2023) or, less commonly, through the precipitation of carbonate minerals in the soil (Renforth et al, 2009;Haque et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Measurement for Quantification of Carbon Dioxide Removal by Enhanced Weathering in Soil

Clarkson,

Larkin,

Swoboda

et al. 2023

Preprint

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All pathways which limit global temperature rise to <2oC above pre-industrial temperatures now require carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in addition to rapid greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Novel and durable CDR strategies need to rapidly scale over the next few decades in order to reach Paris Agreement Targets. 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 we provide a review of the current literature showing the state-of-play of different methods for monitoring EW. We 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. There are two main approaches for measuring EW, one focused on solid phase measurements, including exchangeable phases, and the other on the aqueous phase. Additionally, gas phase measurements have been employed to understand CO2 fluxes, but can be dominated by short-term organic carbon cycling. We stress that, although there is complexity in tracing EW CDR in the natural field environment, established literature validates existing approaches, and each approach has strengths and limitations. The complexity inherent in open-system CDR pathways is navigable through surplus measurement strategies and well designed experiments, which we highlight are critical in the early stage of the EW CDR industry.

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A state of the art of review on factors affecting the enhanced weathering in agricultural soil: strategies for carbon sequestration and climate mitigation

Abdalqadir,

Hughes,

Rezaei Gomari

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Pathways, roundabouts, roadblocks, and shortcuts to safe and sustainable deployment of enhanced rock weathering in agriculture

Abstract: F and Chiang YW (2023), Pathways, roundabouts, roadblocks, and shortcuts to safe and sustainable deployment of enhanced rock weathering in agriculture.

Cited by 5 publications

References 45 publications

Exploratory Review on Environmental Aspects of Enhanced Weathering as a Carbon Dioxide Removal Method

Exploratory Review on Environmental Aspects of Enhanced Weathering as a Carbon Dioxide Removal Method

A Review of Measurement for Quantification of Carbon Dioxide Removal by Enhanced Weathering in Soil

A state of the art of review on factors affecting the enhanced weathering in agricultural soil: strategies for carbon sequestration and climate mitigation

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