Israeli researchers are working to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by speeding up the natural weathering process by which rain dissolves rock.

In nature, rain absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and becomes carbonic acid, which reacts with rocks. In the case of limestone, the calcium carbonate — the main component of the rock — splits into calcium and bicarbonate, both of which dissolve in water.

These materials return to the rivers and the sea as part of the carbon cycle. There, among other things, they are used by marine creatures to build shells and skeletons. When the creatures die, and their shells and skeletons sink to the bottom of the sea, they slowly fossilize and become a component of rock — and so the cycle goes on.

When humans burn fossil fuels, CO2 is released into the atmosphere, tipping nature’s delicate balance between CO2 that is emitted and reabsorbed by the planet. Excess CO2 in the atmosphere today is preventing heat from escaping from the earth (the greenhouse effect) and is sparking climate change — more drought, heavy storms, and flooding.

Despite international agreements aiming to curb human-made CO2........

© The Times of Israel