هوازدگی پیشرفته

Enhanced Weathering

Air pollution is not only a contributor to global warming but also to poor air quality. It can have negative effects on human health. Carbon dioxide is the leading pollutant, with billions of metric tons emitted annually by the burning of fossil fuels. Burning less fossil fuels is the obvious way to reduce carbon dioxide.

Unfortunately, a tremendous number of people rely on fossil fuels for heating, electricity, and transport. This has prompted scientists to look for different approaches to reducing carbon dioxide.

Weathering is when chemical compounds in the atmosphere react with chemical compounds on the planet’s surface.

The weathering of rocks refers to the chemical breakdown of rocks. This occurs when rain, which contains carbon from the atmosphere, comes in contact with rocks. The carbon is captured and embedded in the rocks. This is a natural process and can substantially remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

However, this process is extremely slow. Scientists have been studying ways to integrate this process. They have discovered a technique to speed up weathering. They call this enhanced weathering.

Certain types of rock, such as olivine, are crushed into a fine powder. The powder is spread over a large land surface to be rained on. This process decreases the time of natural weathering by maximizing the rocks’ exposure to carbon.

There are skeptics, however. Some people are uncertain about the effects of enhanced weathering. Some even object to this approach.

Rocks such as olivine may contain toxic substances that can contribute to polluting the planet. Also, grinding rocks produces dust. The dust can be harmful to human health. Moreover, the process of crushing and transporting rock may cause additional carbon emissions.

Although more data needs to be collected, scientists have not completely rejected enhanced weathering. They are hopeful that it will enable the safe removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Scientists are working together to help improve air quality, combat global warming, and heal our planet.