Alkaline Mineral Soil Amendment: A Climate Change ‘Stabilization Wedge’?

Fatima Haque, Yi Wai Chiang and Rafael M. Santos
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Fatima Haque: School of Engineering, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Yi Wai Chiang: School of Engineering, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Rafael M. Santos: School of Engineering, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Extreme climate change due to heat-trapping gases, especially carbon dioxide, necessitates its mitigation. In this context, the carbon dioxide sequestration technology of enhanced weathering has for years been investigated, with a possible implementation strategy via alkaline mineral soil amendment being more recently proposed. Candidate materials for enhanced weathering include calcium and magnesium silicates, most notably those belonging to the olivine, pyroxene and serpentine groups of minerals, given their reactivity with CO 2 and global availability. When these finely crushed silicate rocks are applied to the soil, the alkaline earth metal cations released during mineral weathering gradually react with carbonate anions and results in the formation of pedogenic carbonates, which, over time, and under the right conditions, can accumulate in the soil. This review paper critically reviews the available literature on alkaline mineral soil amendments and its potential to sequester enough CO 2 to be considered a climate change ‘stabilization wedge’. Firstly, evidence of how agricultural soil can serve as a carbon sink in discussed, based on the observed accumulation of inorganic carbon in alkaline mineral-amended soils. Secondly, the impact of alkaline minerals on agricultural soil and crops, and the factors determining the rate of the weathering process are assessed. Lastly, the CO 2 sequestration potential via alkaline mineral soil amendment is quantified according to an idealized shrinking core model, which shows that it has the potential to serve as a climate change stabilization wedge.

Keywords: carbon sequestration; climate change mitigation; alkaline minerals; enhanced weathering; soil amendment; stabilization wedge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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