Researchers from the Leverhulme Center for Climate Change Mitigation at the University of Sheffield analyzed the cost and impact of implementing enhanced weathering in agriculture in the United States.
The research results showed that the application of crushed basalt rocks to US agricultural land could remove between 160 and 300 million metric tons of atmospheric CO2 each year by 2050, increasing the removal capacity to somewhere between 250 and 490 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2070.
The study, published in Nature, offers the first elaborate enhanced weathering analysis that looks into the expenses and effectiveness of scaling this technology in the US agricultural sector over the next 50 years.
According to the research team, this approach could unlock meaningful carbon removal contributions (16%–30%) towards the goal of the United States of becoming net-zero by 2050.
Additionally, enhanced weathering could help combat atmospheric pollution, filtering the air from harmful components like ozone and fine particulate matter. It could also introduce soil health benefits that would result in better crop yields, lowering the reliance on fertilizers.
The research evaluated the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) potential of EW across US states, taking into consideration factors like cropland distance from basalt source regions and the timing of EW deployment.
Based on this criteria, the study identified the Corn Belt region of the US Midwest as having the ideal conditions for implementing enhanced weathering practices, due to its large area, existing infrastructure, and acidic soils.
Relevant: New Field Study Shows Enhanced Weathering In Tropical Acidic Soils Results In Low CDR
While the research authors highlight this technology as a straightforward, low-cost CDR method that would rely on existing agricultural infrastructure, they also point out that its implementation on a climate-relevant scale could take decades.
The successful integration of EW in US agriculture will require engagement from various stakeholders, including national policymakers and local communities and farmers.
The study stresses that the scaling of this carbon removal technology should be done in accordance with the needs and concerns of local communities and should be fortified by elaborate MRV efforts that would ensure environmental safety.
Read more: Isometric Verifies First Enhanced Weathering Carbon Credits Supplied by InPlanet
