Carbon Sequestration
There has been increasing investments to develop technology in the field of Carbon Sequestration and fight the menace of climate change.
Key Points
Need: The idea of funding artificial methods of carbon sequestration is growing as global warming intensifies and civilisation continues to release greenhouse gases.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that, in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change this century, countries may need to remove from the atmosphere between 100 billion and 1 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is far more than can be absorbed by simply growing more trees.
About:
The long-term storage of carbon in vegetation, soil, rock formations, and the ocean is known as carbon sequestration.
Carbon is often stored through a process known as carbon sequestration, which can happen both naturally and as a result of human activity.
Types:
1. Sequestration of Terrestrial Carbon
The process through which CO2 from the atmosphere is taken up by plants and trees through photosynthesis and stored as carbon in soils and biomass (tree trunks, branches, foliage, and roots) is known as terrestrial carbon sequestration.
Oil reservoirs, gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, salty formations, and shale formations with a high organic content are just a few places where CO2 can be stored.
2. Sequestration of Oceanic Carbon
Large volumes of CO2 from the atmosphere are absorbed, released, and stored by the oceans. This can be accomplished in two ways: either by fertilising the ocean with iron to increase its biological production, or by pumping CO2 into the deep ocean.
The release of iron encourages the growth of phytoplankton, which in turn enhances the photosynthesis of these microorganisms and aids in CO2 Methods:
3. Sequestration of Natural Carbon:
It is the method used by nature to balance the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere so that it is suitable for supporting life. Plants and animals both release carbon dioxide at night.
The soil, the oceans, the plants, and even the animals themselves serve as carbon sinks or sponges. All organic life on Earth is carbon-based, and when plants and animals perish, a large portion of the carbon returns to the ground, where it has little effect on the global warming process.
3. Artifice in Sequestering Carbon
Artificial carbon sequestration describes a variety of methods for capturing and burying carbon emissions at the source (such as factory chimneys).
One suggested technique is ocean sequestration, which involves injecting carbon dioxide deep into the ocean to create lakes of CO2. Theoretically, the surrounding water’s pressure and temperature will keep the CO2 down deep where it can slowly dissolve into the water over time.
Another example is geological sequestration, in which carbon dioxide is poured into inaccessible subsurface spaces like aquifers, coal seams, and old oil reserves.