Researchers have assessed the potential to convert 15 weed species found west of Brisbane into biomass pellets, which were used as a solid biomass fuel.
Researchers have assessed the potential to convert 15 weed species found west of Brisbane into biomass pellets, which were used as a solid biomass fuel.
The findings are published in the journal Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments.
To my understanding, trees are the best carbon sink among plants. Weeds can be extremely important for healthy ecosystems, but are not considered as “carbon sink” per se because they have small roots compared to trees and other plants. (Btw if you have a link to share that talks about weeds as important carbon sinks, I would be very interested to take a look at it. So, please share.)
This technique utilizes invasive weeds to make pellets, instead of cutting trees.
I think it really depends. Trees actually aren’t as good at storing carbon as bog plants are. Peat just keeps stacking up indefinitely, while trees only hold what carbon they can hold while alive, unless something unusual happens (e.g., sinking in a swamp, buried by humans, etc)
This was actually a problem in Scotland where there were misguided attempts at planting trees into peatlands for ecological benefit, but they actually did more harm.
With herbacious, or shrubby plants, it’s going to really depend. Some perennial plants are able to build up a pretty decent root mass in the soil that keeps the carbon locked up in the soil for a long time. It may not be as good as trees, but there are plenty of places that just can’t support the biomass of trees (deserts, prairies, savannahs, etc.), and non-tree plants are the best you can do there.
This is all also modified by the fact that a lot of times, invasive plant removal is desirable anyway, so you might as well utilize the waste.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !zerowaste@slrpnk.net
Discussing ways to reduce waste and build community!
Celebrate thrift as a virtue, talk about creative ways to make do, or show off how you reused something!
Researchers have figured out how to remove carbon sink plants and release their co2 into the atmosphere by burning them.
To my understanding, trees are the best carbon sink among plants. Weeds can be extremely important for healthy ecosystems, but are not considered as “carbon sink” per se because they have small roots compared to trees and other plants. (Btw if you have a link to share that talks about weeds as important carbon sinks, I would be very interested to take a look at it. So, please share.)
This technique utilizes invasive weeds to make pellets, instead of cutting trees.
I think it really depends. Trees actually aren’t as good at storing carbon as bog plants are. Peat just keeps stacking up indefinitely, while trees only hold what carbon they can hold while alive, unless something unusual happens (e.g., sinking in a swamp, buried by humans, etc)
This was actually a problem in Scotland where there were misguided attempts at planting trees into peatlands for ecological benefit, but they actually did more harm.
With herbacious, or shrubby plants, it’s going to really depend. Some perennial plants are able to build up a pretty decent root mass in the soil that keeps the carbon locked up in the soil for a long time. It may not be as good as trees, but there are plenty of places that just can’t support the biomass of trees (deserts, prairies, savannahs, etc.), and non-tree plants are the best you can do there.
This is all also modified by the fact that a lot of times, invasive plant removal is desirable anyway, so you might as well utilize the waste.