Research Teneille Nel

Abstract

ROC-MICS addresses the urgent need for effective carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions in response to rising atmospheric CO₂. The project will evaluate the climate benefit of combining enhanced rock weathering (ERW), which stores inorganic carbon, with soil carbon sequestration (SCS), focusing on the persistence of soil organic carbon (SOC) in ERW-treated soils. This will deliver the very first time-explicit metric linking carbon quantity with permanence, a critical gap in current CDR accounting. Using an established ERW field trial in Belgium, the study will test how ERW-induced changes (secondary mineral formation, pH shifts, and microbial community dynamics) influence SOC stabilization. Soil samples will be collected biannually and analysed using advanced techniques: density fractionation to isolate SOC pools, radiocarbon dating to determine their age and turnover, microbial community profiling, and sequential chemical extractions to identify stabilization mechanisms. The work is structured in two main packages. In the first, SOC stability and persistence will be quantified, producing time-explicit climate benefit scores for each soil fraction. In the second, biotic and abiotic mechanisms of SOC stabilization will be identified through mineralogical analysis, microbial functional assessments (supported by a secondment), and structural equation modelling to integrate results into a predictive framework. ROC-MICS will generate policy-ready metrics for ERW's climate potential, guiding carbon market standards, agricultural practices, and EU climate policy. Open data, outreach activities and a strong dissemination plan will promote ERW as a scalable, nature-based climate solution and build the fellow's career as a leader in soil-based CDR research. By bridging fundamental soil science with applied land management, the project supports soil health and enhances climate resilience, aligning with EU Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12, 13 and 15.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Vicca Sara
• Fellow: Nel Teneille

Research team(s)

• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Soils represent the largest terrestrial carbon reservoir, yet their capacity to retain carbon under anthropogenic change remains uncertain. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) – the application of finely ground silicate rock to soils – has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology, but its overall climate benefit is poorly constrained because the organic carbon dimension is largely overlooked. The GEOCARB project (GEOchemical Controls on Soil CARBon Retention) will quantify the persistence and stabilization mechanisms of soil organic carbon (SOC) under ERW, addressing a critical knowledge gap in soil-based CDR. Using soils from a long-term ERW field trial in Malle (Belgium), the project will combine density fractionation, radiocarbon dating, and geochemical analyses to assess SOC turnover and the formation of stabilizing Fe/Al (oxyhydr)oxides and carbonate-associated phases. Turnover modelling within the SoilR framework will yield a time-explicit Climate Benefit of Sequestration metric, integrating SOC dynamics into ERW carbon accounting. By coupling empirical and modelling data, GEOCARB will determine whether ERW enhances durable SOC storage or accelerates decomposition via priming. The project will generate high-resolution datasets linking mineral formation, aggregation, and SOC persistence – establishing the empirical foundation for mechanistic models and future interdisciplinary research on soil-based CDR. Its outcomes will strengthen the SUSTAIN group's leadership in ERW–SOC interaction research, inform carbon market standards, and advance the EU's soil health and climate mitigation goals.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Nel Teneille

Research team(s)

• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)

Project type(s)

• Research Project