Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks
The chemical weathering of rocks currently absorbs about 1.1 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 being mainly stored as bicarbonate in the ocean. An enhancement of this slow natural process could remove substantial amounts of CO _2 from the atmosphere, aiming to offset some unavoidable anthropogenic emissions in order t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa9c4 |
| _version_ | 1797748379486257152 |
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| author | Jessica Strefler Thorben Amann Nico Bauer Elmar Kriegler Jens Hartmann |
| author_facet | Jessica Strefler Thorben Amann Nico Bauer Elmar Kriegler Jens Hartmann |
| author_sort | Jessica Strefler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The chemical weathering of rocks currently absorbs about 1.1 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 being mainly stored as bicarbonate in the ocean. An enhancement of this slow natural process could remove substantial amounts of CO _2 from the atmosphere, aiming to offset some unavoidable anthropogenic emissions in order to comply with the Paris Agreement, while at the same time it may decrease ocean acidification. We provide the first comprehensive assessment of economic costs, energy requirements, technical parameterization, and global and regional carbon removal potential. The crucial parameters defining this potential are the grain size and weathering rates. The main uncertainties about the potential relate to weathering rates and rock mass that can be integrated into the soil. The discussed results do not specifically address the enhancement of weathering through microbial processes, feedback of geogenic nutrient release, and bioturbation. We do not only assess dunite rock, predominantly bearing olivine (in the form of forsterite) as the mineral that has been previously proposed to be best suited for carbon removal, but focus also on basaltic rock to minimize potential negative side effects. Our results show that enhanced weathering is an option for carbon dioxide removal that could be competitive already at 60 US $ t ^−1 CO _2 removed for dunite, but only at 200 US $ t ^−1 CO _2 removed for basalt. The potential carbon removal on cropland areas could be as large as 95 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 for dunite and 4.9 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 for basalt. The best suited locations are warm and humid areas, particularly in India, Brazil, South-East Asia and China, where almost 75% of the global potential can be realized. This work presents a techno-economic assessment framework, which also allows for the incorporation of further processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b447811f01214dcfa670f8bd6079a6ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:56Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-b447811f01214dcfa670f8bd6079a6ae2023-08-09T14:31:04ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262018-01-0113303401010.1088/1748-9326/aaa9c4Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocksJessica Strefler0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5279-4629Thorben Amann1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9347-0615Nico Bauer2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0211-4162Elmar Kriegler3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3307-2647Jens Hartmann4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1878-9321Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research , PO Box 601203, 14412 Potsdam, Germany; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.; Both authors contributed equally.Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg , Hamburg, Germany; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.; Both authors contributed equally.Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research , PO Box 601203, 14412 Potsdam, GermanyPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research , PO Box 601203, 14412 Potsdam, GermanyInstitute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg , Hamburg, GermanyThe chemical weathering of rocks currently absorbs about 1.1 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 being mainly stored as bicarbonate in the ocean. An enhancement of this slow natural process could remove substantial amounts of CO _2 from the atmosphere, aiming to offset some unavoidable anthropogenic emissions in order to comply with the Paris Agreement, while at the same time it may decrease ocean acidification. We provide the first comprehensive assessment of economic costs, energy requirements, technical parameterization, and global and regional carbon removal potential. The crucial parameters defining this potential are the grain size and weathering rates. The main uncertainties about the potential relate to weathering rates and rock mass that can be integrated into the soil. The discussed results do not specifically address the enhancement of weathering through microbial processes, feedback of geogenic nutrient release, and bioturbation. We do not only assess dunite rock, predominantly bearing olivine (in the form of forsterite) as the mineral that has been previously proposed to be best suited for carbon removal, but focus also on basaltic rock to minimize potential negative side effects. Our results show that enhanced weathering is an option for carbon dioxide removal that could be competitive already at 60 US $ t ^−1 CO _2 removed for dunite, but only at 200 US $ t ^−1 CO _2 removed for basalt. The potential carbon removal on cropland areas could be as large as 95 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 for dunite and 4.9 Gt CO _2 a ^−1 for basalt. The best suited locations are warm and humid areas, particularly in India, Brazil, South-East Asia and China, where almost 75% of the global potential can be realized. This work presents a techno-economic assessment framework, which also allows for the incorporation of further processes.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa9c4enhanced weatheringcarbon dioxide removalsupply curvenegative emissions1.5 Cclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Strefler Thorben Amann Nico Bauer Elmar Kriegler Jens Hartmann Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks Environmental Research Letters enhanced weathering carbon dioxide removal supply curve negative emissions 1.5 C climate change |
| title | Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| title_full | Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| title_fullStr | Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| title_short | Potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| title_sort | potential and costs of carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of rocks |
| topic | enhanced weathering carbon dioxide removal supply curve negative emissions 1.5 C climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa9c4 |
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