US EditionFig Trees Convert Atmospheric CO₂ to Stone, Research Reveals
SAMBURU COUNTY, KENYA, JUL 6 – Researchers discovered three Kenyan fig tree species convert CO2 into stable soil calcium carbonate, enhancing long-term carbon storage and offering potential climate benefits, University of Zurich said.
- At this week's Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, Dr. Mike Rowley of the University of Zurich presented that three Samburu County fig species convert CO2 into calcium carbonate.
- The oxalate-carbonate pathway, used by fig trees like Ficus wakefieldii, involves calcium oxalate crystals converted by soil bacteria into calcium carbonate that sequesters CO2 as stable mineral in soil.
- Researcher Rowley found deep mineralisation in fig trees, with Ficus wakefieldii storing up to one ton of calcium carbonate in roots and wood structures.
- Fig trees could boost climate benefits in agroforestry by sequestering inorganic carbon and increasing soil pH, enhancing soil quality, researchers say.
- Researchers plan to quantify Ficus wakefieldii's water needs, fruit yields, and CO2 sequestration potential for integration into reforestation projects.
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By Turning Themselves to Stone, These Remarkable Fig Trees Sequester CO2 Far Longer Than Normal
Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks—essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone. This ‘auto-petrification’ may offer a strange new way to reduce human carbon emissions, as the mineral created by the trees has a much longer lifespan than organic carbon absorbed and deposited in its root system. An international team of […] The post By Turning Themselves to Stone, These Remarkable Fig Trees Sequester CO2 Far…
Fig trees convert atmospheric CO₂ to stone, research reveals
Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks—essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate 'rocks' in the surrounding soil.
From air to stone: The fig trees fighting climate change
Kenyan fig trees can literally turn parts of themselves to stone, using microbes to convert internal crystals into limestone-like deposits that lock away carbon, sweeten surrounding soils, and still yield fruit—hinting at a delicious new weapon in the climate-change arsenal.
NewScientist
Anti-Aging, Acupuncture and Health NewsFig trees may benefit climate by turning carbon dioxide into stone
Some carbon dioxide absorbed by fig trees gets turned into calcium carbonate within the wood and the surrounding soil, ensuring that the carbon is kept out of the air for longer
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