Project description
Studying natural mineral carbonation to combat climate change
Mineral carbonation emerges as a promising solution for addressing climate change. However, limited attention has been given to managing and enhancing its natural occurrences. The MSCA-funded OASIS project seeks to address this gap by conducting research on enhanced rock weathering (ERW) to expedite this slow process. Additionally, the project will investigate water vapour adsorption (WVA) in drylands, potentially offering valuable long-term carbon sinks. Through experiments and infrastructures to simulate conditions and climate change, OASIS expects to enhance our understanding of natural mineral carbonation. Ultimately, the aim is to draw conclusions on the benefits of ERW in drylands. Project findings are expected to furnish compelling arguments for implementing conservation measures and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in dryland regions.
Objective
Mineral carbonation is based on the reaction of CO2 with metal oxide bearing materials to precipitate insoluble carbonates, with calcium being one of the most attractive metals. While the development of industrial carbonation processes has been recommended to mitigate climate change, its natural occurrence in soils and its potential enhancement through management practices has received little attention so far. Since natural carbonation is commonly considered to be a slow process, spreading powder of non-carbonated, calcium-bearing minerals over soils, a strategy known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW), is a promising way to accelerate it. While humid tropical areas are generally regarded as having the greatest potential for ERW, recent evidence suggests that carbonation may also be significant in drylands, driven by water vapour adsorption (WVA) by soil at night, potentially representing an overlooked long-term carbon sink. The general objective of the OASIS project is to assess the potential of ERW in dryland soils. Its main underlying assumption is that optimizing WVA with amendment of highly adsorbent ground rock will maximize the carbonation process while reducing the dependence of phototrophic organisms on rainfall or irrigation. To tackle this objective, OASIS will implement field and mesocosm manipulative experiments using cutting-edge infrastructure to control environmental conditions and simulate climate change. These will be coupled to state-of-the-art measurements and isotopic tracing of soil-atmosphere water vapor and CO2 fluxes. This research will contribute to filling several gaps in our understanding of natural carbonation and its interactions with WVA, organisms, and climate change. It is also expected to provide solid arguments to implement conservation measures and sustainable agricultural practices in drylands or seasonally dry lands to protect and increase water and carbon resources, in line with several European and global guidelines.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringwater engineeringirrigation
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metals
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and management
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
03690 Alicante
Spain