Modified grass offers possible solution to global CO2 problem
PR97573
HENGELO, Netherlands, August 30, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--
Dutch company Carbon-Alert is working in Colombia to solve the world's carbon
problem by creating artificial peat. A new plant species is thought to be able
to speed up this process to a very high degree, resulting in the storage of
millions of tons of CO² underground.
How does it work?
Carbon-Alert plants so-called Juncao grass in Colombia. This plant, also called
giant grass, comes from the African tropics and was modified in China. It grows
very quickly under warm conditions, up to 5 metres in 2 months. More
importantly, it absorbs an extreme amount of CO², as discovered by Chinese
researcher Lei Xuejun, director of the Carbon Cycle Research Centre at the
Central South University of Forestry & Technology in Hunan. Carbon-Alert wants
to partially liquefy the plant and inject it under the groundwater. As a
result, all the CO² the plant takes from the air disappears into the soil. This
is an accelerated form of peat formation, as the Earth has purportedly been
doing for 200 million years.
Tropical innovation
Carbon-Alert is kicking off its project with 4000 hectares of land in Colombia.
There is an important reason for this: the giant grass requires night
temperatures of at least 20 degrees. This represents a huge opportunity for
innovation in tropical regions. Trees were to be planted on the site, which in
the long run would store about 0.5 to 1 ton of root carbon in the soil.
However, the giant grass absorbs about 200 to 300 times more CO², according to
research by Lei Xuejun*. Moreover, the plant does not bear seeds and is
therefore not invasive.
What does it produce?
Carbon-Alert calculated that 1 million km² of grass offsets all CO² emissions
worldwide**. 'An area the size of half of Europe', explains initiator Jacobus
van Merksteijn. 'A huge area, but also a natural alternative for all the solar
panels, wind turbines and electric cars in the world. The process provides CO²
storage, but it can also help fertilise desert areas, produce biomass,
bioethanol and green plastic, and offset oil, coal and gas.'
CO² certificates
The injected CO² is seen as so-called CO² SINK, which can be converted into
Certificates. These can be purchased by companies to offset their emissions.
The Netherlands currently sells about €1 billion worth of CO² certificates,
without compensation. By converting the giant grass CO² storage in tropical
areas into certificates, we are able to actually convert these amounts into
valuable CO² reductions. This generates revenue for governments and
opportunities for business.
About the project
Carbon-Alert was founded by entrepreneur Jacobus van Merksteijn and aims to
effectively tackle the global climate problem by harnessing the power of
nature. Albert van den Berg, director of the nano-institute MESA+ at the
University of Twente, which is part of a consortium looking for solutions to
the CO² problem, says: 'Van Merkstein's plan for negative-emission technology
is worth studying. We have to check the calculations, but the plan is certainly
an original idea. It could indeed be an option.'
Partners
Carbon-Alert works with partners such as the Swiss company aXedras and several
investors including VerdorCapital. The entire process is carried out in
accordance with internationally recognised standards such as UNFCCC-CDM, VCS
and Gold Standard and is audited and verified by independent external
organisations.
For presentations and images, please visit: www.carbon-alert.com
*Source: (source:
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2015-12/02/content_37212397.htm)
** Source calculation in presentation on https://carbon-alert.com/
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1886002/Carbon_Alert_BV_Logo.jpg
SOURCE: Carbon Alert BV
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