The application of nanoscale fertilizers to the oceans could create a much-needed carbon sink.Credits: Illustrated by Stephanie King | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Iron-based fertilizers in the form of nanoparticles can store excess carbon dioxide in the ocean.
International research team led by Michael Hochella Pacific Northwest National Laboratory It suggests that harnessing tiny organisms could be a solution to addressing the pressing need to remove excess carbon dioxide from the global environment.
The team performed an analysis that was published in the journal nanotechnology in natureon the possibility of seeding the ocean with iron-rich artificial fertilizer particles near marine plankton, important microscopic plants in marine ecosystems, to promote phytoplankton growth and carbon dioxide uptake.
Hochella, a laboratory fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, said: “Humans have been fertilizing the land to grow crops for centuries. We can learn how to responsibly enrich our oceans.”
Michael Hochella is an internationally recognized environmental geochemist.Credit: Virginia Tech Photo Service
In the natural world, nutrients from the land fly through rivers and dust and reach the sea, fertilizing plankton. The researchers propose to take this natural process one step further and remove excess CO2 from the ocean. They studied evidence to suggest that adding a specific combination of carefully engineered materials could effectively fertilize the oceans and encourage phytoplankton to act as carbon sinks. Living organisms absorb large amounts of carbon. And when it dies, it sinks deep into the ocean, taking the excess carbon with it. Scientists say this proposed fertilization would simply speed up natural processes that have already safely sequestered carbon in a form that could remove it from the atmosphere for thousands of years.
“At the moment, time is of the essence,” says Hochella. “Globally, he needs to bring down CO2 levels to combat rising temperatures. will be the highest.”
Drawing Insights from the Literature
In their analysis, the researchers argue that engineered nanoparticles offer several attractive attributes. They may be highly controlled and specially tuned for different marine environments. Surface coatings can help particles adhere to plankton. Some particles also have light-absorbing properties, allowing plankton to consume and use more CO2. The general approach can also be tailored to meet the needs of specific marine environments. For example, iron-based particles may be most effective in one region, while silicon-based particles may be most effective in others.
Researchers’ analysis of 123 published studies showed that a number of non-toxic metallic oxygen materials can safely promote plankton growth. They argue that the stability of these materials, their abundance in the earth, and their ease of creation make them viable choices as plankton fertilizers.
The team also analyzed the costs of creating and distributing various particles. This process is significantly more expensive than adding non-engineered materials, but is much more effective.
Reference: “Potential Use of Engineered Nanoparticles in Marine Fertilization for Large-Scale Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Removal”, Peyman Babahani, Thanapong Fengrat, Mohammed Baarosha, Klapa Soratana, Caroline L. Peacock, Benjamin S. Twining, Michael F. Hokkera Jr. November 28, 2022 nanotechnology in nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01226-w
In addition to Hochella, the team included researchers from several research institutes based in the United Kingdom, Thailand, and the United States. This study was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
