"Utilization of biochar as a cementitious material aids in CO2 sequestration by impeding the release of C in the atm. So, a recent study reviewed the prospect of #biochar as a #cementitious material by evaluating its physical, mechanical & durability properties."🧵
This research suggested that "the physical properties of #biochar promote its use as an environmental control device."
A summary of the preparation and characterization of biochar is presented in a Fig. ⬇️ 2/7
According to the study, #pozzolan is a siliceous & aluminous material
that chemically reacts with Ca(OH)2 at room temp to form compounds having #cementitious attributes. So, some of the silica-rich biochars, like the ones derived from #RiceHusk have pozzolanic properties." 3/7
"The quantity & type of biochar used, the number of curing days & the curing technique all have an impact on the strength of biochar-infused concrete/mortar. However, investigations concluded that biochar used at lower conc. (<5 wt%) produce high-strength mortar+concrete." 4/7
This research recommended that "most of the prior work focuses on the thermal stability of #biochar. However, research on chemical & chloride attacks as well as the ageing & weathering study is scarce. Thus, future work should focus on the aforementioned gaps in knowledge."
5/7
Read the open-access study entitled: Biochar in cementitious material—A review on physical, chemical, mechanical, and durability properties" here ⬇️ aimspress.com/article/doi/10…
🚨'Rock candy' technique offers simpler, less costly way to capture C directly from air
U of Toronto engineers have developed a cheap, passive, string-based #DAC system that crystallizes CO₂ like “rock candy,” potentially cutting capital costs by up to 40%.
How it works🧵1/11
Direct air capture has existed for decades, but it’s expensive. Giant fans, complex chemical plants, and energy-intensive regeneration steps drive up costs. That’s the main criticism of today’s DAC industry.
U of Toronto researchers tackled the problem with a simple question:
What if we could let nature do most of the work?
Their answer: evaporative carbonate crystallization, a passive, wind-powered approach.
🚨🗞️Monthly Solar Geoengineering Updates (November Edition)
From the U.S. stratospheric-cooling patent to Global South funding, cautious UK–EU stances, tipping-point modeling & a surge in chemtrail chatter, #SRM captured global attention.
Top 10 SRM Highlights (Nov 2025)🧵1/6:
➡️@MakeSunsets secures its first US patent for stratospheric cooling tech
➡️Climate scientists remain skeptical of SRM, favor research over deployment, per @SZ (Garman newspaper) survey
➡️Royal Society sees SRM’s potential but stresses it can't solve climate change alone
🧵2/
➡️London Protocol reiterates precaution on marine geoengineering deployment
➡️UK reiterates it is “not in favor” of SRM deployment but open to debating regulation
➡️Studies warn SAI may cut protein in staple crops & destabilize yields for coffee, cacao & wine
🚨A new modeling study finds Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (#SAI) could lower risks to many of Earth’s #TippingPoints, but not all.
High-latitude deployment best protects ice sheets & permafrost, while low-latitude deployment favors rainforests & coral reefs.
DETAILS🧵1/14
2/ Tipping elements are highly sensitive to warming.
This study analyzes how different SAI designs (equatorial, mid-latitude, high-latitude & multi-objective strategy) influence the drivers of these tipping systems under SSP2-4.5.
3/ Across most tipping elements, SAI decreases risk relative to continued warming, but magnitude & direction of response are strongly pattern-dependent.
CO₂-driven warming & SAI-driven cooling aren't climatic mirror images - SAI can over- or under-compensate regional changes
🚨New study reveals a major hidden C sink in the deep ocean: ancient talus breccias - piles of broken basalt formed along seafloor faults - can trap & store CO₂ for tens of millions of years, potentially offsetting a significant share of mid-ocean ridge emissions.
DETAILS🧵1/10
2/ Researchers made the discovery while drilling 60-million-year-old seafloor in the South Atlantic.
They found talus breccias containing ~7.5 wt% CO₂ - the highest carbon content ever measured in upper ocean crust, up to *40 times richer than previously sampled basalts.
3/ Why so much C?
These breccias form when steep faults at slow-spreading ridges collapse, creating piles of fractured rock with high natural porosity (~19%).
Over millions of yrs, cold seawater circulates thru rubble & precipitates carbonate minerals, trapping dissolved CO₂
🚨Soil food webs boost carbon retention in farmlands
A new study reveals that simply returning crop residues to fields can supercharge soil food webs, enabling microbes, nematodes & fungi to lock significantly more photosynthetic C into farmland soils.
Details🧵1/8 #CarbonSink
2/ Researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), used field trials and ¹³C isotope tracing to map how carbon fixed by crops travels into soil and through the soil food web.
3/ FINDINGS:
Returning crop residues (stover) emerged as a key driver:
It increased particulate organic carbon (POC) by ~30.96% & mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) by ~11.39% compared with plots where stover was removed.
🚨New research shows how integrating Direct Air Capture (#DAC) with urea production - paired with CO₂ pricing can slash emissions, reach cost parity with fossil-based urea by 2050 & reshape global fertiliser markets through policies like the EU #CBAM.
DETAILS🧵1/9 #CDR
2/ What DAC-urea is?
It's urea fertilizer made with CO₂ pulled directly from the air instead of CO₂ from fossil fuels.
Air-captured CO₂ + green ammonia → urea.
Same fertilizer, but far lower climate impact.
3/Study presents a framework combining process modelling, prospective LCA & TEA to compare DAC-urea with conventional fossil-based urea today & under 2050 climate scenarios, including a cross-country assessment of Denmark’s clean electricity system & Egypt’s more C-intensive grid