Exploring the synergy of enhanced weathering and Bacillus subtilis: A promising strategy for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most urgent environmental challenges that humanity faces. In addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, safe and robust carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies that capture atmospheric CO₂ and ensure long-term sequestration are required. Among CDR technologies, enhanced silicate weathering (ESW) has been suggested as a promising option. While ESW has been demonstrated to depend strongly on pH, water, and temperature, recent studies suggest that biota may accelerate mineral weathering rates. Bacillus subtilis is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that can facilitate weathering to obtain mineral nutrients. It is a promising agricultural biofertilizer, as it helps plants acquire nutrients and protects them from environmental stresses. Given that croplands are optimal implementation fields for ESW, any synergy between ESW and B. subtilis can hold great potential for further practice. B. subtilis was reported to enhance weathering under laboratory conditions, but there is a lack of data for soil applications. In a soil-mesocosm experiment, we examined the effect of B. subtilis on basalt weathering. B. subtilis–basalt interaction stimulated basalt weathering and increased soil extractable Fe. The combined application displayed higher CDR potential compared to basalt-only application (3.7 vs. 2.3 tons CO₂ ha⁻¹) taking solid and liquid cation pools into account. However, the cumulative CO₂ efflux decreased by approximately 2 tons CO₂ ha⁻¹ with basalt-only treatment, while the combined application did not affect the CO₂ efflux. We found limited mobilization of cations to the liquid phase as most were retained in the soil. Additionally, we found substantial mobilization of basalt-originated Mg, Fe, and Al to oxide- and organic-bound soil fractions. We, therefore, conclude that basalt addition showed relatively low inorganic CDR potential but a high capacity for SOM stabilization. The outcomes indicated the importance of weathering rate–GHG emission integration and the high potential of SOM stabilization in ESW studies.