Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Enhanced Rock Weathering in Agroecosystems
This special issue welcomes review and research papers, including modelling studies and short communications, concerning recent advances on enhanced rock weathering (ERW) as a land-based CO2 removal method in agroecosystems.
Guest editors: Binoy Sarkar, University of South Australia; Christiana Dietzen, University of Copenhagen; Biraj Basak, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and Emily Chiang, University of Guelph.
Submissions close on 30 November 2024.
Background
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems is seeking submissions for a Special Issue on enhanced rock weathering (ERW) as a land-based CO2 removal method in agroecosystems. All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by 2-3 independent reviewers and handled by the Guest Editors, in collaboration with the Journal’s Editors-in-Chief. Papers accepted for publication in the Special Issue will be available online soon after acceptance, and before inclusion in the Special Issue.
ERW is a CO2 removal method where crushed alkaline silicate minerals are applied to soil in agricultural or forest settings. The minerals undergo weathering reactions in the soil which consume dissolved CO2, generate alkalinity, and release several nutrient elements (e.g., Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe, Si) in plant available form. The application of these silicate minerals as a multi-purpose agricultural input can effectively remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the form of dissolved or soil inorganic carbon, deliver a natural, safe fertiliser and lime substitute, and may overcome physical (e.g., water retention) and chemical (e.g., soil acidity) soil constraints for crop/forestry production, building the resilience of soils to climate change. The weathering products eventually reach to the ocean from the soil and sequester carbon durably on the oceanic floor in carbonate form.
Crushed rock has long been applied in agriculture with recorded evidence of soil nutrient status improvement and crop yield enhancement. However, the potential of ERW to remove atmospheric CO2 at large scale has been demonstrated only in the last decade, during which time the global demand for carbon removal has increased rapidly. Ever since, ERW research and development have progressed at an unprecedented pace, drawing attention from academics, industry practitioners, crop/plantation growers, and regulatory bodies. An increasing body of research now shows that ERW is an effective method for removing atmospheric CO2, and recent findings suggest that it may also reduce other greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., N2O, CH4) associated with agriculture or forestry.
Aims and scope of this Special Issue
This special issue considers original research, short communications, and invited review/perspective manuscripts focusing on various aspects of ERW such as, but not limited to, the following: (i) evaluation of CO2 removal and agronomic benefits of ERW under different environmental conditions and crop types, as well as intercomparison of different rocks and minerals for this purpose, (ii) impact of rock and mineral application on nutrient cycling and soil greenhouse gas emissions, (iii) effect of rock and mineral application on soil physical, chemical and biological attributes and quality, (iv) advanced techniques to measure weathering rates, (v) development and improvement of biogeochemical models to quantify carbon capture via ERW, (vi) quantification and assessment of turnover of soil organic and inorganic carbon storage/sequestration via ERW, (vii) biogeochemistry of potentially toxic trace elements in ERW, and (viii) co-deployment of ERW with other CO2 removal methods.
Submission Information
To submit a manuscript for this special issue, authors should follow the steps below:
1. Authors should submit their paper through the following website (this opens in a new tab)
2. Under the ‘Details’ tab, authors must select that their article is part of a collection, and then select “SI: Enhanced rock weathering”.
3. Review/perspective manuscripts will be considered in the Special Issue via invitation only. Potential contributors of review/perspective manuscripts should discuss with the Guest Editors prior to the submission.
4. Research/short communication manuscripts reporting results of laboratory, glasshouse, field experiments, and/or modelling studies will be considered.
Photo credit: Prof Minik Rosing of University of Copenhagen