What is Carbon Sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is a way of saying capturing carbon before it is injected into the atmosphere. It also involves the long-term storage of carbon in vegetations, soils, oceans, and geologic formations. The objective is to prevent this carbon from converting into carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.

How Does Carbon Sequestration Work?

Many concerns on the impact of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere have been growing and the possibility of enhancing carbon sequestration has been increased through changes in the usage of land and forestry plus geo-engineering methods like storage and carbon capture. Anthropogenic activities like the combustion of fossils have led into the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Besides this, Carbon dioxide is released from nature when plants and animals are burnt. Burning of fossils has greatly increased the level of Carbon dioxide since the industrial age. It is also a very effective greenhouse gas due to its ability to absorb infrared radiation released from the surface of the earth. The more the carbon dioxide piles in the air, the more the retention of infrared radiation which increases the Earths lower temperature commonly termed as global warming. Deforestation releases carbon in the air while a forestation serves as carbon sinks. Normally, carbon is moved from the air to the carbon sink via photosynthesis; it may either be stored in soils or above ground. It is worth noting that carbon sequestered in the soils and plants could be emitted into the air via weather changes or land use. This is achievable by burning or decomposition. All this supplements oxygen in the air with carbon in plant tissues to form carbon dioxide. The terrestrial sink can enhance the level of carbon dioxide in the air via continuous decomposition and combustion. New technologies dealing with carbon capture attempt to control global warming. They include a geo-engineering suggestion termed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Here, carbon dioxide is first distinguished from other gases within industrial emissions then it's compressed and moved to isolation far from the atmosphere to be stored for long. Preferred storage may include geologic structures like deep saline formations, depleted gas and oil storage, or deep ocean. Despite CCS capturing carbon dioxide directly from the source before being released in the air, it may also use scrubbing towers and artificial trees techniques to get carbon dioxide from the air.