Production and application of an aircraft spreadable, cyanobacterial based biological soil crust inoculant for soil fertilization, soil stablization and atmospheric CO2 drawdown and sequestration

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for the production and application of a cyanobacteria based biological soil crust inoculant for soil fertilization, soil stabilization and the drawing down and sequestering of atmospheric carbon. Inoculant is generated as a dry granulate that can be stockpiled and spread onto soils using standard agricultural spreading practices employing aircraft, ground equipment and irrigation systems. This inoculant will have particular application in stabilizing agricultural and arid land soils to limit their erosion, increasing soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and providing nutrients, and drawing down atmospheric carbon dioxide by stimulating the growth and propagation of these biological soil crusts and their associated microorganisms and vascular plants. The effect of this carbon dioxide draw down will further the broad scale application of the soil crust inoculant by industries and nations interested in offsetting their anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions while increasing the fertility of their soils.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 422,613, filed Dec. 13, 2010, entitled “Production and Application of Cyanobacterial Based Photosynthetic Soil Fertilizer”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is related to production and application of cyanobacterial based photosynthetic soil fertilizer.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide is expected to have a detrimental impact on global weather conditions. Accordingly, there is a need for additional systems and / or methods that assist in mitigating the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide, including the sequestering of industrial CO2 emissions. Additionally, there is a need for a natural soil fertilizer that mitigates desertification and revitalizes the soil micronutrients depleted by chemical farming.[0004]Soil microorganisms within BSC form...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0040]The purpose of this invention's processes in FIGS. 4 and 5 is to transport soil inoculant from the production PBR to the soil to be treated/fertilized in an effective and profitable manner. Essentially, the overall process to combine technologies, admixes and individual processes with the PBR output is achieved to yield a TerraDerm product that not only is effective in its application on soil, but that can be transported and stockpiled over time without degradation. Advantageously, techniques described herein facilitate manufacturing TerraDerm pellets that can be broadcast by a spinning spreader such that they are not blown away by the ambient wind. A further benefit includes that the TerraDerm is able to be distributed by agricultural aircraft. Yet a further embodiment is that the TerraDerm can be mixed with irrigation water and sprayed on crops. This adaptive ability is the function of the specifically selected inventive combination of processes depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0041]FIG. 5 concerns the conversion of homogenously layered biomass flakes into uniformly sized particles ideally having a high weight density and as spherically compact of a profile that is reasonably possible or commercially viable so as to maintain the fastest aerodynamic falling velocity which helps in the effectiveness of aircraft and spreader dispersal methods. Additionally, the more spherical profiles will be more predictable to optimize in the fluidi

Problems solved by technology

Build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide is expected to have a detrimental impact on global weather conditions.

However, because BSC microorganisms reproduce slowly in dry climates and are not very motile, physical disturbances like tilling, livestock grazing, and fire can halt the BSCs beneficial effects for the soil and the BSC, and these benefits can take decades or centuries in dry climates to naturally restore.

Of the planet's 13 billion hectares of land mass, about 1 billion hectares of BSC supported soil have been damaged by human activity that has led to increased global desertification and airborne dust that exacerbates the effects of global warming.

Once BSC activity declines, the vascular plants dependent on healthy soil decline, further reducing the ability of the land to produce crops, prevent erosion, and draw down CO2 from the atmosphere.

Additionally, the use of factory fertilizers based on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process for fixing agricultural nitrogen increase levels of atmospheric CO2, pollute waterways with excess nitrogen run off, and deplete soil health and mic

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