Application example: Leachate monitoring for CO2 sequestration
Long-term experiment on CO₂ sequestration through the incorporation of biochar and rock powders into soil
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During the weathering of silicate rocks, CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere and stored long-term in carbonates. This natural weathering process can be accelerated by finely grinding these rocks (rock powder) and applying them to agricultural land. This carbon storage technology is referred to as enhanced weathering. In addition to examining the effects of rock powder on plant growth and soil chemistry, this long-term experiment investigates CO₂ sequestration by rock powders under Central European conditions. For this purpose, a continuous field trial with a four-crop rotation (grain maize, winter wheat, soy bean and winter rye) was established on the experimental fields of the Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg (LTZ) in Rheinstetten-Forchheim. In two of the seven variants, 2.5 tonnes of rock powder from wollastonite or diabase per hectare are applied annually. To determine carbon sequestration, leachate samples are collected via suction plates from three plots (control, diabase and wollastonite). The suction plates are installed below the root zone at a depth of 80 cm. In addition to measuring the volume of leachate, the samples are analysed for carbonate content, pH value and cation concentrations (Ca, Mg, K and Na).
Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg (LTZ)
Funded by Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz (MLR)
Contact: Dr. Carola Blessing, Carola.Blessing@ltz.bwl.de