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Review
. 2008 Feb 27;363(1492):815-30.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2007.2185.

Carbon sequestration

Rattan Lal  1
Affiliations
Review

Carbon sequestration

Rattan Lal. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Developing technologies to reduce the rate of increase of atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from annual emissions of 8.6PgCyr-1 from energy, process industry, land-use conversion and soil cultivation is an important issue of the twenty-first century. Of the three options of reducing the global energy use, developing low or no-carbon fuel and sequestering emissions, this manuscript describes processes for carbon (CO2) sequestration and discusses abiotic and biotic technologies. Carbon sequestration implies transfer of atmospheric CO2 into other long-lived global pools including oceanic, pedologic, biotic and geological strata to reduce the net rate of increase in atmospheric CO2. Engineering techniques of CO2 injection in deep ocean, geological strata, old coal mines and oil wells, and saline aquifers along with mineral carbonation of CO2 constitute abiotic techniques. These techniques have a large potential of thousands of Pg, are expensive, have leakage risks and may be available for routine use by 2025 and beyond. In comparison, biotic techniques are natural and cost-effective processes, have numerous ancillary benefits, are immediately applicable but have finite sink capacity. Biotic and abiotic C sequestration options have specific nitches, are complementary, and have potential to mitigate the climate change risks.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Principal global C pools and fluxes between them. The data on C pools among major reservoirs are from Batjes (1996), Falkowski et al. (2000) and Pacala & Socolow (2004), and the data on fluxes are from IPCC (2001).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The atmospheric C pool is increasing at the rate of 3.5 Pg C yr−1. The terrestrial C pool contributes approximately 1.6 Pg C yr−1 through deforestation, biomass burning, draining of wetlands, soil cultivation including those of organic soils, accelerated erosion and hidden C costs of input (e.g. fertilizers, tillage, pesticides, irrigation). Terrestrial C pools are presently sink of 2–4 Pg C yr−1. Conversion to a judicious land use and adoption of recommended practices in managed ecosystems can make these important sinks especially due to CO2 fertilization effects.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A wide range of processes and technological options for C sequestration in agricultural, industrial and natural ecosystems.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Management strategies for soil carbon sequestration through restoration of degraded soils and adoption of RMPs on agricultural soils.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Interactive effects of modern biofuels produced from energy plantations on terrestrial/biotic carbon sequestration.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Adverse impacts of crop residue of cellulosic bioethanol production on soil and environment quality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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