Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Enhanced weathering in the US Corn Belt delivers carbon removal with agronomic benefits

David J. Beerling; Dimitar Z. Epihov; I. B. Kantola; Michael D. Masters; Tom Reershemius; Noah J. Planavsky; Christopher T. Reinhard; Jacob S. Jordan; Sarah J. Thorne; James Weber; Maria Val Martin; Robert P. Freckleton; Sue E. Hartley; Rachael H. James; Christopher R. Pearce; Evan H. DeLucia; Steven A. Banwart

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024

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Summary

Terrestrial enhanced weathering (EW) of silicate rocks, such as crushed basalt, on farmlands is a promising scalable atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy that urgently requires performance assessment with commercial farming practices. We report findings from a large-scale replicated EW field trial across a typical maize-soybean rotation on an experimental farm in the heart of the United Sates Corn Belt over 4 y (2016 to 2020). We show an average combined loss of major cations (Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup>) from crushed basalt applied each fall over 4 y (50 t ha<sup>-1</sup> y<sup>-1</sup>) gave a conservative time-integrated cumulative CDR potential of 10.5 ± 3.8 t CO<sub>2</sub> ha<sup>-1</sup>. Maize and soybean yields increased significantly (<i>P</i> < 0.05) by 12 t

Source type
Peer-reviewed study
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2319436121
Catalogue ID
NRmo9zxr64-01i
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