Harun Niron postdoctoral scholarship hold.

Research Harun Niron

Research team

Expertise

During my Ph.D., I developed a strong foundation in plant physiology, bioinformatics, and molecular biology, acquiring proficiency in advanced techniques such as cloning, transgenomics, and fluorescence imaging. Driven by my interest in addressing climate change, my postdoctoral research focuses on carbon dioxide capture and removal technologies, through the use of biogeochemical processes. My work centers on the application of a novel carbon dioxide removal technology, enhanced silicate weathering, both in natural environments and controlled reactor conditions. By measuring dissolved and solid carbon, alkalinity production, and released cations, I aim to quantify the carbon capture potential of this process. Additionally, I investigate the broader impacts of silicate weathering on soil processes, plant health, organic carbon cycling, and the emissions of other greenhouse gases, particularly in agricultural systems. Furthermore, I explore the influence of organic and inorganic chemicals, such as organic acids and chelators, on the carbon capture efficiency of enhanced silicate weathering under flow-through reactor conditions.

CARBIZON – Building sustainable, fertile carbon soils. 01/05/2025 - 30/04/2026

Abstract

CARBIZON provides a novel technology for soil engineering. It is our ambition to achieve 'negative erosion with CO2 removal': rebuilding soils based on natural soil regeneration, combined with CO2 sequestration. To achieve this, CARBIZON combines three nature-based carbon dioxide removal methods (CDRs) to rapidly restore fertile topsoil. The CARBIZON technology provides a drastic solution to the longstanding issue of soil degradation. With CARBIZON, we will reverse the effects of soil degradation and create healthy, fertile soils that can re-support sustainable agriculture, while also taking up large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. The issue of soil degradation is a major concern in the Global South, affecting millions of individuals who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Key value of CARBIZON technology lies in its potential beyond carbon sequestration. The CARBIZON approach improves soil water retention (rendering irrigation more efficient), it provides a natural source of essential micro- and macro-nutrients, fostering healthy crop growth, and creates a stable soil matrix that fosters soil health and prevents renewed erosion. Our approach ensures that the soil is not only climate-proof, but also resource-smart, making it suitable for sustainable agriculture in the long run. We envision that CARBIZON will be an innovative start-up in the soil restoration and carbon sequestration market, supplying landowners and governments with a new technology to restore degraded soils. Our approach puts a sustainable business model into future-proofing soils in the Global South, financed by the carbon market through the sales of the carbon credits obtained by CO2 sequestration. In the POC CREATE that was financed earlier, we laid the technological foundation for the spin-off. Key input from investors and stakeholders points out one final step is essential before CARBIZON can enter the market: a solid economic analysis, combined with tailored stakeholder engagement and business planning to develop a scalable, market-ready strategy for deploying CARBIZON's innovative soil restoration and carbon sequestration technology.

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Project type(s)

  • Research Project

Restoring degraded soils while sequestering carbon (RESTOC). 01/12/2024 - 30/11/2028

Abstract

RESTOC aims to test the use of three CO2 removal (CDR) techniques - enhanced weathering (EW) of silicates, biochar (BC), and soil carbon sequestration (SCS) - for restoring degraded soils. Besides sequestering CO2, these combined techniques are expected to enhance soil water retention, to provide a natural source of essential micro- and macro-nutrients, and to create a stable soil matrix for agriculture. In this project, we will conduct a mesocosm experiment to assess in detail the impact of fundamental aspects of the method on soil development, plant growth and plant nutrients. These results will be used in a geochemical model, providing key insights into the processes involved in soil C sequestration, as well as a quantification of the long-term CDR potential of the technology.

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  • Research Project

CO-benefits and Risks of Enhanced Silicate weathering in agriculture (CORES). 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2025

Abstract

CO2 is a potent greenhouse gas and the primary cause of global climate change (GCC). Among others, GCC induces extreme weather events, producing an extensive impact on natural and agricultural systems. Climate change mitigation requires an urgent decrease in CO2 emissions together with active CO2 removal from the atmosphere. Enhanced silicate weathering (ESW) is a promising negative emission technology for CO2 removal but requires further research. ESW accelerates the natural process of weathering-based silicate to carbonate transformation, by increasing the surface area of silicate rocks. During the weathering process, CO2 is sequestered. Agricultural fields are ideal for ESW, due to ease of access, equipment availability and infrastructural capacity. In an agricultural setting, this application can be further beneficial as the silicate rocks like basalt contains elements that promote plant growth and soil health. In addition, GCC endangers crop production by inducing drought and salinity. Approximately 75% of the cropland is subjected to drought-related yield loss while salinity affects around 50-80% of global croplands. Moreover, impacts of drought and salinity are anticipated to rise in the future due to GCC. The negative effects of drought and salinity can be countered by ESW through (i) the preservation of crop yield and quality by the silicon (Si) mediated drought and salt stress tolerance in plants and (ii) the protection of soil microbiota by the stabilization of soil chemistry. Although ESW could contribute to climate change adaptation in agriculture, these promising co-benefits were never assessed, and further research is needed to evaluate this potential in different agriculturalsettings. In project CORES, I aim to examine the potential of ESW, with silicate mineral basalt, for the protection of yield and quality of major crop maize and associated soil microbiota under drought and saline conditions and establish the groundwork for future field trials.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project