Special soil to overcome climate change

Can a solution to global warming problem be in the soil under our feet? A group of Newcastle University scientists aim to develop a soil that can separate carbon from the permanent and efficient atmosphere. This is something no one had ever tested.

This discovery stems from the idea that plants and plants naturally absorb CO ₂ during photosynthesis and then release excess carbon into the soil around them through plant roots. For most soils, this carbon escapes back into the atmosphere or into groundwater.

But in silicate soils containing calcium (natural or man-made), scientists believe that carbon released from plant roots can interact with calcium to form a harmless calcium carbonate . Carbon will remain safely in the calcium carbonate compound and remain in the soil, close to the roots of the plant in the form of an outer shell of stone or fine-grained form.

Scientists are examining whether this process will happen because it can boost the growth of more plants and plants, especially where calcium-rich soil is available. This also opens up the prospect of land being 'designed' (eg adding calcium silicate or planting special crops) to improve carbon retention processes. Such types of land may play a valuable role in the fight against global carbon.

The team will test calcium carbonate detection in natural soils that grow on calcium-rich rock or expose it to mortar dust (containing artificial silicate calcium). They will then study artificial soil made in the laboratory from calcium-rich composite and stone. Finally, they will plant a number of plants on soils containing high levels of calcium silicate and control the accumulation of calcium carbonate in the soil.

The research team covers many areas, including civil engineers, geologists, biologists and soil scientists, led by David Maaning, Lecturer in Soil Research Science at Newcastle University. head. David said:

'Scientists have known the possibility of using carbon to absorb carbon. But no one has attempted to design the land with the goal of locking up carbon permanently. Once we are sure of the feasibility of this carbon sequestration method, we can develop a computer model to predict how much calcium carbonate will form in specific soil types and their speed. This will help us take advantage of the highest quality land from a carbon reduction perspective. Another important benefit is that fighting climate change in this way promises to be more economical than other ways. '

These important applications to this carbon-rich and carbon-locked soil could be soil restoration and other development projects. Growing bioenergy crops on this soil is also a promising possibility.

'The process we are developing can contribute to the goal of cutting UK 5-10% of carbon emissions in the future. We can see applications within 2-3 years, including in the field of land recovery. '

This work is currently funded by the Physical Science and Engineering Research Council.