WHEN CLIMATE Solutions MEET SOIL HEALTH AND gets DUSTy, we could winSpreading rock dust and Enhanced Rock Weathering (EWR) to suport soil health and crop production could emerge as our best near-term solution to the problem of removing CO2 from the atmosphere, say scientists, but cutting fossil fuel use remains critical.
In beginning, our exploration into approaching environmental best practices that integrate climate solutions and technology to meet our many climate crisis, carbon net zero mission and the need to nurture and sustain soil and plant health for agricultural needs, we stumbled upon the discovery that Basalt Rock Dust, which is already used for enriching soil with minerals also allows for incredible carbon capture capabilities, while also enabling plants and soil to be healthy, AND HEAT, PEST AND DROUGHT RESILIENT. Can this help the heavily impacted drought crops? We're on the ground, working to collaborate with farmers and gardeners to find out! We've also been researching the technology avidly and are happy to share some of our reading here. If the science and results work out, we will be sharing this as a great technology to also help meet the wildfire and drought crises, as far and wide as we can with you and get as much basalt rock dusted on our lands to also help capture carbon for hundreds of thousands of years. In the meantime, feel free to also click on any of our affiliate links, contact us for a sample and/or grab some basalt rock dust to try out on some soil and plants here and please do let us know how it goes. |
HAVE SOME SOIL AND PLANTS TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS THAT BASALT ROCK COULD BE A GREAT CLIMATE SOLUTION TO BUILD HEAT, DROUGHT RESILIENCY AND PLANT/SOIL HEALTH?
Our team is passionate about helping folks save the planet together with you and your team. We can send you a small sample or if you can click on one of our Amazon links (which helps us pay for R&D and all that we do) and get dusting, PLEASE let us know! We'd love to learn together, collaborate, test the hypothesis and get the best environmental best practices to folks with you! |
 WANT TO TRY ROCK DUSTING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
THE GOOD NEWS Basalt Rock Dust is accessible! Folks can even get Basalt Rock Dust on Amazon! |
Thank you in advance if you do purchase some rock dust from Amazon through our link here.
(It helps us keep the lights on.) If the hypothesis works out, we will love to help make sure we champion miners setting some aside for rock dusting and get folks bulk pricing. Either way, we want to help everyone approach landscaping, gardening and land stewardship with wellness and climate best practices in mind with you, please connect with our team and we are happy to consult, collaborate and help find/explore/recommend good resources and solutions. |
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SOME RELATED READING AND CASE STUDIES
Is Rock Dust A Climate Change Solution? - Amy Quinton, UC Davis
"Agriculture is responsible for 24 percent of our global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, UC Davis researchers say agriculture holds huge potential to be one of the biggest solutions to climate change. Carbon farming may hold the key."
The Most Important Soil Amendment No One Talks About
"Simply stated, rock minerals are the building blocks of healthy soil.
Results include improved plant structure, increased resistance to pests and disease, and more intense flavor profiles for fruits and vegetables.
Although some retailers classify rock dust as a fertilizer, it does not have the necessary amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (N-P-K) to qualify as such. Instead, rock dust contains minerals like calcium and trace elements like iron and manganese which are difficult to replace once they’ve been depleted from the soil as a result of natural weathering and/or over-farming.
Is all Rock Dust Alike?
A rock is a rock—right? Not quite. Igneous rocks like basalt and granite have the highest mineral content, with basalt providing a greater balance of nutrients for optimal plant health and vitality.
Created through the cooling and solidification of magma and lava, basalt is the rock material that makes up most of the soils around the world. It continues to deliver a steady flow of nutrients over time, even as it decomposes. Basalt’s slow-release benefits make it an effective way to minimize deficiencies, particularly with fast-growing crops that experience periods of rapid nutrient uptake."
Spreading Rock Dust On Fields Could Remove Vast Amounts of CO2 From Air
"Spreading rock dust on farmland could suck billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air every year, according to the first detailed global analysis of the technique.
The chemical reactions that degrade the rock particles lock the greenhouse gas into carbonates within months, and some scientists say this approach may be the best near-term way of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
The researchers are clear that cutting the fossil fuel burning that releases CO2 is the most important action needed to tackle the climate emergency. But climate scientists also agree that, in addition, massive amounts of CO2 need to be removed from the air to meet the Paris agreement goals of keeping global temperature rise below 2C.
The rock dust approach, called enhanced rock weathering (ERW), has several advantages, the researchers say. First, many farmers already add limestone dust to soils to reduce acidification, and adding other rock dust improves fertility and crop yields, meaning application could be routine and desirable.
Basalt is the best rock for capturing CO2, and many mines already produce dust as a byproduct, so stockpiles already exist. The researchers also found that the world’s biggest polluters, China, the US and India, have the greatest potential for ERW, as they have large areas of cropland and relatively warm weather, which speeds up the chemical reactions.
The analysis, published in the journal Nature, estimates that treating about half of farmland could capture 2bn tonnes of CO2 each year, equivalent to the combined emissions of Germany and Japan."
“Weathering provides a natural, permanent sink for the carbon.'
Hansen, who famously warned the US Senate about global warming in 1988, said improving soil could also underpin food security for billions of people.
Other proposed ways of pulling CO2 from the atmosphere at similar rates include using chemical solvents to capture it directly from the air, or growing energy crops, burning them to produce electricity and then burying the CO2 emissions. The new research suggests ERW will be less expensive than either and, unlike energy crops, does not compete with food for land. But the scientists said all approaches may be needed to beat the climate crisis.
Planting trees and adding charcoal to soil also remove CO2 from the air, and these approaches could potentially be used in combination with ERW to maximize the impact. “Planting trees is an excellent option for CO2 removal but is not sufficient on its own,” said the scientists.
Basalt is preferred for ERW as it contains the calcium and magnesium needed to capture CO2, as well as silica and nutrients such as potassium and iron, which are often deficient in intensively farmed soils.
Some farmers in south-east Asia already use it to boost depleted silica in rice fields, while trials in the Netherlands are using it to boost tree planting. Most importantly, ERW reduces soil acidity, which already affects about 20% of arable fields around the world.
Basalt is one of the most common rocks on Earth, and waste dust from mining could be used for ERW, as could waste from cement and steel manufacturing. This would remove the need to grind the rocks into fine particles, which requires energy. "
"Agriculture is responsible for 24 percent of our global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, UC Davis researchers say agriculture holds huge potential to be one of the biggest solutions to climate change. Carbon farming may hold the key."
The Most Important Soil Amendment No One Talks About
"Simply stated, rock minerals are the building blocks of healthy soil.
Results include improved plant structure, increased resistance to pests and disease, and more intense flavor profiles for fruits and vegetables.
Although some retailers classify rock dust as a fertilizer, it does not have the necessary amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (N-P-K) to qualify as such. Instead, rock dust contains minerals like calcium and trace elements like iron and manganese which are difficult to replace once they’ve been depleted from the soil as a result of natural weathering and/or over-farming.
Is all Rock Dust Alike?
A rock is a rock—right? Not quite. Igneous rocks like basalt and granite have the highest mineral content, with basalt providing a greater balance of nutrients for optimal plant health and vitality.
Created through the cooling and solidification of magma and lava, basalt is the rock material that makes up most of the soils around the world. It continues to deliver a steady flow of nutrients over time, even as it decomposes. Basalt’s slow-release benefits make it an effective way to minimize deficiencies, particularly with fast-growing crops that experience periods of rapid nutrient uptake."
Spreading Rock Dust On Fields Could Remove Vast Amounts of CO2 From Air
"Spreading rock dust on farmland could suck billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air every year, according to the first detailed global analysis of the technique.
The chemical reactions that degrade the rock particles lock the greenhouse gas into carbonates within months, and some scientists say this approach may be the best near-term way of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
The researchers are clear that cutting the fossil fuel burning that releases CO2 is the most important action needed to tackle the climate emergency. But climate scientists also agree that, in addition, massive amounts of CO2 need to be removed from the air to meet the Paris agreement goals of keeping global temperature rise below 2C.
The rock dust approach, called enhanced rock weathering (ERW), has several advantages, the researchers say. First, many farmers already add limestone dust to soils to reduce acidification, and adding other rock dust improves fertility and crop yields, meaning application could be routine and desirable.
Basalt is the best rock for capturing CO2, and many mines already produce dust as a byproduct, so stockpiles already exist. The researchers also found that the world’s biggest polluters, China, the US and India, have the greatest potential for ERW, as they have large areas of cropland and relatively warm weather, which speeds up the chemical reactions.
The analysis, published in the journal Nature, estimates that treating about half of farmland could capture 2bn tonnes of CO2 each year, equivalent to the combined emissions of Germany and Japan."
“Weathering provides a natural, permanent sink for the carbon.'
Hansen, who famously warned the US Senate about global warming in 1988, said improving soil could also underpin food security for billions of people.
Other proposed ways of pulling CO2 from the atmosphere at similar rates include using chemical solvents to capture it directly from the air, or growing energy crops, burning them to produce electricity and then burying the CO2 emissions. The new research suggests ERW will be less expensive than either and, unlike energy crops, does not compete with food for land. But the scientists said all approaches may be needed to beat the climate crisis.
Planting trees and adding charcoal to soil also remove CO2 from the air, and these approaches could potentially be used in combination with ERW to maximize the impact. “Planting trees is an excellent option for CO2 removal but is not sufficient on its own,” said the scientists.
Basalt is preferred for ERW as it contains the calcium and magnesium needed to capture CO2, as well as silica and nutrients such as potassium and iron, which are often deficient in intensively farmed soils.
Some farmers in south-east Asia already use it to boost depleted silica in rice fields, while trials in the Netherlands are using it to boost tree planting. Most importantly, ERW reduces soil acidity, which already affects about 20% of arable fields around the world.
Basalt is one of the most common rocks on Earth, and waste dust from mining could be used for ERW, as could waste from cement and steel manufacturing. This would remove the need to grind the rocks into fine particles, which requires energy. "
