This content was originally published by WIRED and is republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Coal is indirectly solar-powered thanks to the energy stored by swamp plants millions of years ago. These ancient plants absorbed sunlight and carbon dioxide, then died and transformed into coal over time. Although coal is not renewable like solar panels, burning it releases carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing to rapid climate change. However, a growing number of carbon projects seek to reverse this process by creating a type of coal from plant waste and burying it underground.
At the COP28 conference, carbon removal was a popular topic, aligning with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recommendation for various techniques to help restrict warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. One such technique is biomass carbon removal and storage, involving the use of special reactors to convert waste biomass into solid, concentrated carbon. This process, known as pyrolysis, creates charcoal that doesn’t become food for microbes, allowing the carbon to persist in the ground.
Additionally, burying processed biomass in landfills or using it as biochar for agricultural fields helps sequester carbon and improve soils. Biochar not only has the potential to boost crop yields but can also enhance water retention in sandy soils, making it a valuable soil amendment. By using techniques such as liquid pyrolysis, biomass is converted into oil and injected into old oil wells to sequester carbon and seal any leaks.
While these carbon removal methods exploit nature’s photosynthesis to bury carbon, there are potential challenges. Competition for biomass waste could drive up prices, and the existence of these carbon removal technologies may lead to less incentive to reduce emissions. However, it’s important to acknowledge that carbon removal is not a substitute for reducing emissions but can be an additional tool in the fight against climate change.
