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[Display omitted] • Carbon sequestration potential of the clay fraction. • Determination of the carbon saturation deficit of each mineral of the clay fraction. • Identification of the equation for the prediction of carbon sequestration potential. • Identification of land uses with the greatest carbon sequestration potential. The capacity of soil to sequester carbon (C) is a key process that promotes the reduction of CO 2 in the atmosphere. Soils can absorb as much as 20% of anthropogenic carbon emissions, which can contribute to mitigate climate change. This capacity relies on the organo-mineral association, which includes different minerals, Fe and Al oxides, which have a critical soil organic carbon (SOC) sorption surface. Based on an equation of the potential C saturation deficit of fine soil particles (<20 μm/silt and clay fractions) for tropical regions, this study investigated the SOC sequestration potential of the clay fraction for soils in Piracicaba region, São Paulo State, Brazil as influenced by the clay minerals. This potential was fitted to a spatial regression model for soil depths 0–20 cm and 80 to 100 cm. In the surface layer, the sequestration potential was mostly explained by the relative abundance of soil minerals (Kaolinite, Hematite, Goethite and Gibbsite) determined using vis-NIR-SWIR spectroscopy. A direct relationship was observed with Goethite and Gibbsite, indicating that low concentrations would reduce the sequestration potential. At 80 to 100 cm depth, Kaolinite and Hematite explained most variation in SOC sequestration potential. Additionally, the C associated with the mineral fraction and the C saturation potential as a function of minerals were modeled and a strong importance of hematite in the C sequestration and stabilization cycle was identified at both depths. The individual mineral contribution to SOC sequestration potential was also mapped, which identified high contributions of goethite and gibbsite for deep soil layers. The influence of land use on the carbon sequestration potential of minerals was observed, with the greatest potential being found in areas with pasture and cropping mosaics and grassland and forest mosaics, with a high presence of kaolinite and hematite. These minerals have a greater potential for carbon sequestration at greater depths and, therefore, could be critical in climate change mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy production from sugarcane can be one of the sustainable means of mitigating climate change. This was the central idea of the Conference, "Carbon Balance in the Sugar-Energy Sector," held in Brazil on September 14, 2021. The various panels showed that sugarcane stakeholders, including scientists, farmers, industrialists, and investors, are committed to making large-scale sugarcane production a key ingredient in the mitigation of climate change. Their strategies include sustainable land use and management practices to increase soil carbon sequestration; the large-scale production of biofuel, bioelectricity and bioproducts; negative emission industrial technologies; industrial waste recycling; and sector-specific policies rewarding farmers with carbon credits for avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the sugarcane sector is not only key to promoting the social-economic development of Brazil, but also to promoting energy transition, curbing greenhouse gas emissions and consequently, reducing global warming and climate change. • Conference Report: 2021 Carbon balance in the sugar-energy sector. • Carbon Balance in the Sugar-Energy Sector 2021 Conference held by Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba-SP, Brazil on September 14, 2021. • Sugarcane-derived bioenergy is a key ingredient in fighting climate change while simultaneously maintaining a balanced ecosystem (including enhanced soil health and increased capacity to sequester carbon) and promoting socio-economic development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is regularly argued that CCS deployment is more likely to occur in developed countries associated with high fossil fuels dependence levels, Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions sources and to the implementation of specific taxes to GHG. Somewhat counter-intuitively, though, two of the most progressive countries with respect to CCS deployment, Norway and Brazil, only partially fulfill these criteria. Our preliminary analysis suggests that CCS in both cases has been applied as a strategic tool for economic competitiveness, rather than a climate change mitigation option, with public and/or private regulatory arrangements providing initial incentives to take the technology off the ground. This has important implications for policy making since it, by alter our notion of the drivers for action, may call for alternative configurations of incentive structures and policy instruments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Agriculture provides an array of ecosystem services including the sequestration and storage of carbon in the biomass of plants. Research has focused on commercial crops, especially tree crops, for their potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In Brazil interest is growing in the commercial cultivation of macauba (Acrocomia aculeata), a palm native to the tropical regions of the American continents with fruit that can be used as the primary ingredient in the production of oils and bioenergy. However, we did not find any prior studies that had assessed macauba's carbon sequestration potential nor any exploration in the literature of the income generation potential for commercial macauba producers to sell carbon credits. In order to understand opportunities to commercialize carbon credits from macauba, research was needed on the palm's long-term carbon sequestration and stock capacity. In this study we measured the accumulation of carbon in commercially cultivated macauba's biomass both below and above-ground using a selection of plants of different ages. An assessment was also made of the crop's potential to generate carbon credits. Macauba plants were sampled in a nursery with seedlings aged 3 and 8 months, and with more mature plants cultivated in fields aged 1.6, 4.8, and 9 years. The samples were fully harvested by complete removal (including roots and above ground structures), followed by separation, quantification and carbon analysis of the different plant biomass components. The data obtained allowed for estimating the production of carbon credits and the resulting annual income. Findings indicated a differential distribution of both biomass and carbon below and above-ground in field-cultivated macauba palms. The stock of carbon in the plants aged 9 years reached 61.6 t C ha−1 with a corresponding sequestration of 226.17 t CO 2 eq ha−1. The expected generation of carbon credits of palms from 1.6 to 9 years was 28.73 t CO 2 eq. ha− 1 per year, which could result in an annual gross income of € 761.06 per hectare. Significant amounts of stored carbon were found in both the above and below-ground biomass, suggesting that the macauba has significant potential to generate carbon credits and contribute to the mitigation of the effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]