UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2019

Additional carbon sequestration in soils is a promising ‘negative emissions’ opportunity to mitigate climate change – it has been calculated that a 0.4% annual increase in soil carbon stocks could offset the harmful impacts of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions.

of cultivated land to bind carbon, it is possible to compensate between 5–15% of global carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis. This is why appropriate farming practices can have a major role in mitigating climate change,” describes Panoutsou. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils is not just climate action: it can also help improve soil structure, reduce erosion, increase soil moisture retention, and improve nutrient storing capacity – all of which are relevant in terms of global food security. “The soil’s ability to absorb carbon can be improved through continuous cultivation, by sequenced rotation or by turning farmland into forest. It is also improved by reducing tillage and by adding organic additives. Diverse crop rotation is also important for carbon stock development,” Panoutsou explains.

product: climate positive renewable diesel, which plays an instrumental role in efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport in line with the UN’s climate targets by 2030. The EU is aiming for a 40% reduction by 2030. By the time the plant is harvested, it is almost two metres tall. All but the grains are left in the field. The leaves and stems decompose slowly, enriching the soil for the benefit of the next crops. Somewhere in Europe, a car turns into a petrol station. The driver can be confident that the fuel flowing into the tank is a responsible choice, as it is processed from renewable, climate-friendly carinata grains – possibly sourced fromUPM’s contract farmers in Uruguay. And so the journey continues – beyond fossils.

The proof is in the tank When the time comes to bring in the harvest at the end of November, the carinata fields are a hive of activity. Massive combine harvesters weave their way through the rows of crops. All 10,000 hectares of carinata planted for UPM are harvested and prepared using similar equipment as for rapeseed, requiring no additional investment in newmachinery from farmers. At the moment the harvest is sold to Europe as rawmaterial for biofuels. Currently UPM does not process carinata itself. “The fact that the plant suits farmers because neither has to make major investments in machinery,” says Ranta. The positive payoff of cultivating carinata is visible in the finished existing production lines is significant both for us and the

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