Ocean sequestration of crop residue carbon: recycling fossil fuel carbon back to deep sediments
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Monitoring Pedogenic Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Due to Weathering of Amended Silicate Minerals in Agricultural Soils.
Published on: June 4, 2021
Stuart E Strand1, Gregory Benford
1College of Forest Resources, 167 Wilcox Hall, Box 352700, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. sstrand@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
For significant impact any method to remove CO2 from the atmosphere must process large amounts of carbon efficiently, be repeatable, sequester carbon for thousands of years, be practical, economical and be implemented soon. The only method that meets these criteria is removal of crop residues and burial in the deep ocean. We show here that this method is 92% efficient in sequestration of crop residue carbon while cellulosic ethanol production is only 32% and soil sequestration is about 14% efficient. Deep ocean sequestration can potentially capture 15% of the current global CO2 annual increase, returning that carbon backto deep sediments, confining the carbon for millennia, while using existing capital infrastructure and technology. Because of these clear advantages, we recommend enhanced research into permanent sequestration of crop residues in the deep ocean.
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
Bioremediation
Microbes and the Carbon Cycle
Biofuels
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
