SBIR-STTR Award

A comprehensive carbon sequestration program includes maximizing the carbon sink potential of the terrestrial ecosystem. This can be achieved by (1) establishing sustainable vegetation on arid or damaged land and (2) expanding the carbon sequestration into deeper soil strata. However, current methods for revegetating arid land have high failure rates because of scarce or costly access to water and because these methods encourage near-surface plant rooting. This near-surface rooting is more favorable for carbon respiration than carbon sequestration as would be the case with roots established in deeper soil horizons. This project will determine the carbon sequestration potential of a patented technology that produces the root growth of trees to groundwater depths greater than 40 feet. With deep root growth readily accessing groundwater, there is improved potential for establishing plants on marginal soils. By increasing root development in less productive soils, more respired CO2 can be entrapped by soil solutions and minerals. Phase I will revisit several long-established sites where this technology has been deployed and conduct an in-depth field evaluation of the soil carbon. Root density and morphology will be determined at incremental depths, and the relationship among carbon and its chemical forms, microbial populations, nutrients, and other chemical parameters will be characterized. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by awardee: This technology, already commercialized for remediation purposes, should improve carbon sequestration. In the nearer term, it should have a direct commercialization potential for land restoration programs that include barriers to desertification, windbreak applications, and environmental protection.

This project will develop the information required to promote tree planting systems that encourage deep rooting, thus enhancing carbon sequestration and providing other benefits to the environment. Phase I collected root mass data (and thus carbon) in the subsoil of 3 to 10 year old trees to determine both the validity of the approach of deep rooting technology and potential carbon gains from that technology. Studies were conducted on how to adapt existing deep rooting technology to minimize installation costs and improve deep rooting efficacy to enhance carbon sequestration. In Phase II, a field study will be conducted to evaluate the application of the deep rooting technology to the establishment of non-irrigated trees in semi-arid conditions with ground water 50 or more feet below ground surface. Also, to provide additional incentive to utilize the carbon sequestration benefits of deep rooting technology, greenhouse and small-plot research will be conducted to evaluate the potential for expanding deep rooting technology to trees that have greater commercial value, such as fruit, nut, and valuable hardwood species.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
The establishment of self-irrigated low-maintenance windbreaks or shelterbelts in semi-arid climates, where carbon is not readily recycled, should create an enhanced net positive carbon sequestration regime and be potentially useful in blocking desertification in some areas. In addition, application of deep root technology to tree crop management (in citrus groves, for example) should not only offer enhanced carbon sequestration, but also allow for the control and/or reduction of production resources such as energy, water, fertilizer, and pesticides.