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CO2-capturing rock dust boosts crop yields by up to 16%
The application of crushed rock to farmers' fields may not only reduce greenhouse gases, it could also boost crop yields by up to 16%. These are the findings of a new study conducted by scientists from the University of Sheffield’s Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation.
The research actually builds on a previous U Sheffield study that we heard about back in 2020. At that time, scientists were analyzing the effectiveness of a technique known as enhanced rock weathering.
In their natural state, rocks naturally absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide as they break down in the environment. The greater the number of pieces they break down into, the greater the total surface area available for carbon sequestration, and thus the greater the amount of CO2 that can be absorbed.
Most rocks take a long time to fall into small pieces on their own, however. Additionally, in order for all those pieces to absorb CO2, they have to be laid out across a large area where they're all exposed to the atmosphere. That's where enhanced rock weathering comes in.
The process involves mechanically pulverizing rocks down to the consistency of dust, then spreading that material across agricultural fields. Farmers wouldn't necessarily have to spend any extra time doing so, as the dust could be spread alongside fertilizers or other additives that were already being applied to the fields anyway.
In the 2020 study it was determined that if practiced on a global basis, enhanced rock weathering could draw up to 2 billion tonnes (about 2.2 billion tons) of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. For a bit of context, that's significantly more than the amount of CO2 emitted annually through global aviation and shipping combined.
The rocks could be obtained from sources such as mining operations, and farmers could be financially incentivized to use the dust on their fields. And if the money isn't enough on its own, then the promise of higher yields may help.
The new study was conducted over a four-year period at the University of Illinois Energy Farm, on fields in which maize and soybeans were grown on a rotating basis. Some plots in those fields were left untreated to serve as controls, while others had the basalt dust applied at a rate of 50 tons (45 tonnes) per hectare every year.
It was ultimately found that yields of the treated plots were 12-to-16% higher than those of the controls.
This outcome was due mainly to the fact that the basalt raised the soil's pH, which in turn boosted the plants' ability to take up nutrients already present in the soil. Additionally, as the basalt disintegrated in the soil, it released nutrients of its own such as phosphorus, potassium and calcium.
As an added benefit, plants from the basalt-treated plots were higher in micro- and macronutrients, increasing their nutritional value for both humans and livestock. The carbon sequestration effect was also confirmed – it's now believed that application of crushed rock dust can remove about three to four tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide per hectare per year.
"We have shown with hard-won data, the carbon removal potential of enhanced weathering practices in the real world," said the lead scientist, U Sheffield's Prof. David Beerling. "It’s a big step forward in understanding the enormous potential of this technology to mitigate climate change while simultaneously improving yields and soil health."
注释：
pulverize: v
表示"磨成粉；粉碎"，means "make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust;"，如：On other occasions I threatened to pulverize it. 在其他的时刻，我扬言要粉碎它。
maize: n
表示" 玉米"，如：Maize is widely planted in the America. 玉米在美洲广泛种植。
basalt: n
表示" 玄武岩"，如：Basalt is the commonest volcanic rock. 玄武岩是最普通的火山岩。
potassium: n
表示"钾"，如：What fruit vegetable contains potassium most? 什么水果蔬菜含钾最多？
sequestration: n
表示"隔离；扣押"，如：His property has been kept under sequestration. 他的财产被没收。
中文简要说明：
拿碎石当肥料，这听起来似乎难以置信，不过这确实是科学家的建议。英国谢菲尔德大学(University of Sheffield)研究团队从2020年起，就发现岩石的风化作用，可以吸收空气中的二氧化碳，如果发生在农地里，会改善土质，农产量可以提升16%。
新阿特拉斯(New Altas)报导，谢菲尔德大学的莱弗休姆气候变迁减缓中心(Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation)的研究团队从2020年就开始研究自然的二氧化碳吸收办法，称为「增强岩石风化的技术的有效性」。
岩石不会进行植物那样的光合作用，但是岩石在自然环境中，会因为水解作用就自然而然的吸收大气中的二氧化碳，而且当岩石开始碎裂，这个反应还会增强，因为可用于固碳的总表面积就越大，吸收的二氧化碳数量也就越大。
然而，大多数岩石需要很长时间，才会自行碎成小块，因此科学家设想，以人工的方式将岩石粉碎成颗粒与砂尘的程度，然后将这些砂尘散布到农田中，还会有改善土质的效果。
2020 年的研究就发现，如果在全球范围内实施，人为的增强岩石风化作用，每年可以从大气中吸收22亿吨的二氧化碳，这超过了全球航空和航运每年排放的二氧化碳量的总和。
这项新研究是在伊利诺大学农场进行的，为期四年，研究对象轮流种植玉米和大豆。一些田地没有经过特别处理，这是对照组；但是其他田地则以每年每公顷 50 吨的份量，散播玄武岩粉尘。结果发现，洒上岩石粉的土地，平均收获量比对照祖土地增加12~16%。
科学家认为，洒上岩石粉的土地，提高了土壤的pH 值，从而提高了植物吸收土壤中养分的能力。此外，当玄武岩在土壤中分解时，它也会释放出高质量的矿物质，比如磷、钾和钙。
谢菲尔德大学的比尔林教授(David Beerling)说：「这个好处是迭加的，首先每年在每公顷土地洒上50吨碎石粉，可以吸收3~4吨的大气中二氧化碳，而这些碎石粉改善了土质，使作物成长的更好，又增加了对人类和牲畜的营养价值。这对于高效率利用农田，保护森林，都有巨大潜力。」
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