ROCK POWDER WEATHERING AS A STRATEGY FOR ORGANIC CARBON STABILIZATION THROUGH ORGANOMINERAL INTERACTIONS

• Grant number: 24/10043-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Grantee: Thomas dos Santos Trentin
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10573-4 - Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON), AP.CEPID

Abstract

Nature-based solutions have gained increasing prominence in combating climate change, given their effectiveness and scalability. In this regard, the use of rock powders (i.e., ground silicate minerals, agrominerals) has been encouraged in agriculture because of the co-benefits they offer to crops and soil, as well as their role in the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide through mineral weathering. However, another potential yet unexplored mechanism is organomineral interactions (OMIs), which occur between soil organic matter (SOM) and transformed or newly formed minerals derived from rock powders. It is hypothesized that these interactions have the potential to stabilize soil organic carbon and promote its increase. Thus, two lines of work are proposed: the first involves the dissolution of agrominerals in various aqueous solutions to infer the importance of the rhizosphere in inducing mineral alterations that favor OMIs; the second involves the analysis of SOM compartments under a cropping system conditioned with different rock powders, aiming at the accumulation of carbon in the mineral-associated fraction. By stimulating the use of rock powders, this research seeks to demonstrate their efficacy in stabilizing SOM and, consequently, their importance as a tool in addressing climate change, coupled with more sustainable agricultural practices.