NYU faculty established New York City’s first site for enhanced rock weathering — a process that takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in rocks.

Led by Gallatin visiting assistant professor Jonathan Lambert, researchers at the Steinhardt Urban Farm Lab spread 10 pounds of basalt over soil beds. Due to the chemical properties of the volcanic rock, interactions with rainfall trap atmospheric carbon in the soil. 

“Because enhanced rock weathering is most often performed on large farms outside of urban areas, one aim of our project is to have this site serve as an accessible microcosm of these larger deployments that are occurring across the world,” Lambert told WSN. He hopes to scale the project, especially in urban centers.

Also hoping to expand the research, Urban Farm Lab manager and Steinhardt adjunct professor Melissa Metrick looked into whether crops would be damaged by enhanced rock weathering. Researchers found that although basalt could change soil quality, attempts to grow beets, spinach and peas were successful. Given the scarcity of enhanced rock weathering in the city, the lab plans to use NYU’s gardens to hold in-person community workshops in urban agriculture and emissions solutions.

Lambert previously researched how green clay, a specific type of basalt, allows tennis courts to function as sites for enhanced rock weathering. According to his team’s findings, courts across the United States remove about 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — demonstrating how enhanced rock weathering can be implemented in public spaces.

“If we stop putting as much carbon into the environment, that would be the best thing,” Metrick said. “We have a lot of carbon in the atmosphere, and any small thing that we could do could help.”

Contact Selin Kemiktarak and Justin Yen at [email protected].