Accelerated Lab Testing for Carbon Dioxide Removal Research by Carbon Drawdown Initiative
In a groundbreaking development, a new method by the Carbon Drawdown Initiative could revolutionise the way we approach Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) projects. The 48-hour "Shaker Test" significantly reduces testing times from a year to just two days, offering a simple laboratory procedure that guides decisions previously taking months.
The test involves combining 30 grams of rock, 80 grams of soil, and 150 grams of distilled water in an Erlenmeyer flask, which is then placed on a laboratory shaker. The mechanical shaking accelerates the chemical reactions involved in rock weathering, allowing researchers to rapidly assess the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of different rock samples.
The key innovation is the mechanical shaking that accelerates rock-water interactions, enabling a rapid and efficient simulation of weathering processes that previously required lengthy observation periods. This drastic cut in experimental times is expected to save time, money, and carbon accounting in ERW projects.
The electrical conductivity (EC) in the test serves as a reliable proxy for alkalinity changes, making it an effective tool for measuring the performance of different rock samples. If further testing confirms the approach's effectiveness across a wide range of soils, it could become a standard pre-screening tool for ERW projects, saving time and money, and ensuring that rock applications deliver meaningful carbon removal.
The team at Carbon Drawdown has observed significant variations in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) effects when the same crushed rock is applied to different soils. In just three weeks, they "replayed" 30 different soil-rock pairings from their 700-day greenhouse trial and found that short-term EC results closely matched long-term alkalinity outcomes. This consistency suggests that the new method could help in making informed decisions about ERW projects more efficiently.
However, the team admits that they have not yet fully understood why the method works so well. They are continuing to investigate the new method and its potential applications in ERW projects, hoping to uncover more about the acceleration of reactions, the breaking up of coatings on rock particles, and the mimicking of decisive processes in soils on a compressed timescale.
The Carbon Drawdown Initiative offers support through a Substack subscription and on Stripe for those interested in learning more about their work and contributing to their research. With promising results in reducing testing times for enhanced rock weathering from 200+ days to 48 hours, the future of ERW research looks promising and efficient.
[1] Source: Carbon Drawdown Initiative's Research Paper [2] Source: Carbon Drawdown Initiative's Press Release
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