Phil Renforth
Phil Renforth
Professor of Carbon Dioxide Removal
Research Centre for Carbon Solutions
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh
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Fresh off the press
Fresh off the press
Transforming US agriculture for carbon removal with enhanced weathering
Enhanced weathering (EW) with agriculture uses crushed silicate rocks to drive carbon dioxide removal (CDR)1,2. If widely adopted on farmlands, it could help achieve net-zero emissions by 20502,3,4. Here we show, with a detailed US state-specific carbon cycle analysis constrained by resource provision, that EW deployed on agricultural land could sequester 0.16–0.30 GtCO2 yr−1 by 2050, rising to 0.25–0.49 GtCO2 yr−1 by 2070. Geochemical assessment of rivers and oceans suggests effective transport of dissolved products from EW from soils, offering CDR on intergenerational timescales. Our analysis further indicates that EW may temporarily help lower ground-level ozone and concentrations of secondary aerosols in agricultural regions. Geospatially mapped CDR costs show heterogeneity across the USA, reflecting a combination of cropland distance from basalt source regions, timing of EW deployment and evolving CDR rates. CDR costs are highest in the first two decades before declining to about US$100–150 tCO2−1 by 2050, including for states that contribute most to total national CDR. Although EW cannot be a substitute for emission reductions, our assessment strengthens the case for EW as an overlooked practical innovation for helping the USA meet net-zero 2050 goals5,6. Public awareness of EW and equity impacts of EW deployment across the USA require further exploration7,8 and we note that mobilizing an EW industry at the necessary scale could take decades.
Media
Media
A presentation on ocean alkalinity enhancement given to the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in 2017
An ocean alkalinity enhancement explainer
My keynote presentation on enhanced weathering at the Negative Emissions Conference 2018
A talk on enhanced weathering given to the geological society in 2019
A presentation on greenhouse gas removal in the iron and steel industry given in 2021
A short introduction to our work on hydrated carbonate minerals for ocean alkalinity enhancement
A presentation on the potential of geochemical carbon dioxide removal
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