By Camille Murray

Research into carbon sequestration could offer answers on how we can store carbon in the ground and not in our atmosphere where it can warm our planet. Carbon exists on Earth in solid, dissolved, and gaseous forms. Carbon dioxide, CO2, is a powerful heat-trapping gas produced both in nature and by human activity. The main source of manmade CO2 is from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil for transportation and power generation. CO2 can be released through land use changes, biologically through oceans, the decomposition of organic matter, and forest fires. Carbon dioxide produced on Earth builds up in our atmosphere and traps heat, contributing to climate change. Researchers are working hard to understand how to limit carbon emissions from reaching the atmosphere, and also how to pull CO2 from the atmosphere. 

What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing, securing, and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The goal of carbon sequestration is to stabilize carbon in its solid and dissolved forms, rather than its gaseous form which warms the atmosphere. There are a few types of carbon sequestration techniques, including biological, geological, and technological. Biological carbon sequestration is the storage of carbon in vegetation such as grasslands or forests, as well as soils and oceans. Geological carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in underground geologic formations, or rocks. Technological carbon sequestration may be the future of capturing and storing carbon. Researchers are looking into new ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere and even use it as a resource. 

Livestock can play a part in carbon sequestration. During photosynthesis, plants remove CO2 from the air and convert the carbon into glucose, which can then be used to form cellulose. As livestock graze on cellulose-rich grasses, they digest the stored carbon and use the energy for growth, milk production, and other metabolic processes. Plants need to photosynthesize to grow, so as livestock eat the plants, they are encouraging them to grow back and sequester more CO2 from the atmosphere. Rangelands can potentially sequester up to 330 million metric tons of CO2 in their soils, making livestock grazing a resourceful carbon sequestration tool. Carbon sequestration can take many forms, all showing promising results and an exciting future of research to come. 

The UC Davis CLEAR Center shares a video explaining carbon sequestration here.