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

ABSTRACT: 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 (Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) from crushed basalt applied each fall over 4 y (50 t ha^-1 y^-1) gave a conservative time-integrated cumulative CDR potential of 10.5 ± 3.8 t CO₂ ha^-1. Maize and soybean yields increased significantly (P < 0.05) by 12 t

SUBMITTER: Beerling DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10907306 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature