Alam Md Jahangir, MacDonald John M
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University Avenue, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Department of Geology, Curzon Hall, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Prog Phys Geogr. 2025 Jul 19;49(5):522-538. doi: 10.1177/03091333251360750. eCollection 2025 Oct.
Global warming over the past 70 years has been driven by rising atmospheric CO levels, largely resulting from industrialization. During this period, large quantities of alkaline waste materials were generated, many of which have the potential to capture atmospheric CO through mineral carbonation, hence offsetting some of these industrial emissions. One such material is paper mill sludge (PMS), a by-product of paper production. Significant volumes of legacy PMS exist worldwide, offering an untapped resource for carbon sequestration. To assess its carbon capture potential, this study maps and quantifies legacy PMS deposits in Scotland, a region with a long history of paper-making. Using historical records and GIS-based spatial analysis, 23 PMS deposits were identified across Scotland, primarily concentrated in the central and northeastern regions. The total volume of these deposits was estimated at 1,450,745 m. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that PMS samples are composed predominantly of calcite (∼95%), indicating near-complete carbonation. This equates to the sequestration of approximately 1.72 million tonnes of atmospheric CO since deposition. Spatial analysis examined the co-location of PMS deposits with designated ecological and cultural protection zones, revealing minimal overlap. This underscores the need for targeted management strategies to safeguard these carbon sinks from urban development or land-use changes that could release stored CO back into the atmosphere.
过去70年的全球变暖是由大气中二氧化碳水平上升驱动的，这主要是工业化的结果。在此期间，产生了大量碱性废料，其中许多有潜力通过矿物碳酸化捕获大气中的二氧化碳，从而抵消部分工业排放。造纸厂污泥（PMS）就是这样一种材料，它是造纸生产的副产品。全球存在大量遗留的造纸厂污泥，为碳封存提供了未开发的资源。为评估其碳捕获潜力，本研究绘制了苏格兰遗留造纸厂污泥沉积物的地图并进行了量化，苏格兰有着悠久的造纸历史。利用历史记录和基于地理信息系统的空间分析，在苏格兰各地确定了23个造纸厂污泥沉积物，主要集中在中部和东北部地区。这些沉积物的总体积估计为1450745立方米。X射线衍射（XRD）分析表明，造纸厂污泥样本主要由方解石（约95%）组成，表明碳化接近完成。这相当于自沉积以来封存了约172万吨大气中的二氧化碳。空间分析研究了造纸厂污泥沉积物与指定的生态和文化保护区的共存情况，发现重叠极少。这突出表明需要有针对性的管理策略，以保护这些碳汇免受可能将封存的二氧化碳释放回大气的城市发展或土地利用变化的影响。
