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Project Summary

Start date:
1 May 2021
Duration:
4.5 Years
Funders:
NERC

Detail

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a GGR technology based on amending soils with crushed calcium and magnesium-rich silicate rocks to accelerate natural carbon dioxide sequestration processes, whilst delivering co-benefits for crop production, food security and soil health.

This ERW-GGR Demonstrator will provide the first integrated whole system assessment of the science, societal and scalability opportunities and challenges of ERW deployment in UK agriculture.

It will assess the potential of ERW to remove up to 10% of the UK's GGR net-zero target by testing its implementation on grass and arable land covering 74% of UK utilized agricultural area (~13 million ha).

Potential co-benefits include improved productivity by reducing excess soil acidity, resupplying soils with depleted plant-essential mineral nutrients, increased crop resistance to pests and pathogens, via greater silica uptake, and reducing soil nitrous oxide fluxes.

Project Leader

Prof. Adie Collins

Science Director

Prof. Steve McGrath

Soil and Plant Scientist

Team Members

Dr Ian Shield

Agronomist

Dr Robert Dunn

ECOLOGIST

Dr Jane Hawkins

BIOGEOCHEMIST

Dr Martin Blackwell

Soil Scientist

Collaborators

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation

National Oceanography CentreUniversity of Sheffield

University of Southampton

University of Oxford

University of Cardiff

University of Aberdeen

Heriot-Watt University 

University of Leeds

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