The tree may even die, but the rock that was once carbon is on the ground for hundreds of years.
Figueiras contribute to the mood in a surprising way: they are able to transform carbon dioxide (CO2) into… stonewhich is stored in the soil for centuries.
The conclusion is from a new study of the University of Zurich, which concluded that some species of the tree that gives us figs can transform part of the CO2 that absorb into calcium carbonatea mineral form that can stay on the ground for hundreds of years and thus keep carbon out of the atmosphere much longer than natural processes normally allow.
The investigation conducted by Mike Rowley focused on three native fig species from Samburu County in Kenya. Contrary to what is usual in most trees, which store carbon into organic molecules such as cellulose, these figs have the ability to convert CO2 into calcium oxalatewhich later transforms, with the help of bacteria, in calcium carbonate – the same material that makes up rocks, such as limestone.
In addition, the team found that mineral storage-observed in the trunks and roots-remains on the ground even after the tree dies.
But how did the team identify the trees that can “petrify” CO2?
The investigators applied diluted hydrochloric acid In the trunks and roots – a technique that causes the release of bubbles whenever acid contacts calcium carbonate, releasing CO2. What surprised the scientists more was the depth with which this compound was present in the structures of Madeira.
Although it is still necessary to study the exact amount of carbon stored, as well as the water needs and the resilience of these figs to different climates, the initial conclusions point to the figs to “kill two rabbits with one stone”: they provide food and act as a carbon sink.
The results will be presented this week at the Goldschmidt conference in Prague, according to the.
