this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
566 points (99.3% liked)
Science Memes
20009 readers
1042 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Plants and trees are carbon neutral. They release the carbon when they decompose.
Not entirely. Some goes into the topsoil. Also if your guerilla project lives on one plant is replaced with another, so it is carbon negative compared with no plants in its place.
You gotta sequester the carbon by harvesting the trees and then either building stuff (like buildings or furniture, not disposable goods) with them or burying/sinking them in anaerobic conditions so they can't decompose.
biochar!
Its basically just making charcoal from woody wastes(i use my pruning from my garden).
making biochar using a pit. the wood becomes stable carbon and lasts hundreds of years. I grind it and put it in my compost then add the compost+biochar into my garden.
Biochar is cool and all, but it's still not as good as preserving the wood completely intact. The article you cited itself says "it is predicted that at least 50% of the carbon in any piece of waste turned into biochar becomes stable," which is quite a bit less than 100%.
I suppose it's good for the twigs and other leftovers that aren't even good enough to be made into OSB or MDF panels.
In a mostly solid form though
No, it enters the atmosphere.
A little part stills goes to soil and other, we wouldn't have coal if old trees decomposed all their CO2 back to the air
Coal only exists because the bacteria did not exist yet to break the plant matter down when those trees died. New coal can not be formed now that the bacteria exist.
It can be formed, just not in the vast quantities it was back then. It requires unusual conditions to stop fungi making a meal out of it, before it gets buried deep enough.
True. Limited areas like peat bogs.