The role of the soil microbiome in carbon sequestration in soils amended with mineral wastes

Since the turn of the century, a new term has been increasingly used to define a new planetary epoch ‘The Anthropocene’. The prominent markers of the Anthropocene include climate change, rising global temperatures, and the changing chemical compositions of soils and oceans. The IPCC predicts overshooting 1.5 °C, even for a short period, will lead to severe, and irreversible impacts. To remain within 1.5 °C society must not only shift to a net-zero energy system but also implement carbon removal methods, such as carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is mediated by many microorganisms that induce carbonate precipitation through various metabolic processes including ureolysis, sulphate reduction, or photosynthesis. A new enhanced form of carbon sequestration has been proposed, a nature-based carbon capture technique called enhanced weathering, which involves spreading finely ground silicate rock upon the land to accelerate natural weathering. Enhanced weathering has the potential to offset carbon emissions, it also improves soil health and fertility. Despite this, there is a limited understanding of the full diversity of carbonate-precipitating microbes within the soil microbiome and the microbial interactions behind inorganic carbon capture within soils are poorly defined. Our goal is to understand the microbial diversity of mineral-waste amended soils, determine crucial functional genes and metabolic pathways through DNA-based molecular methods to elucidate the role the microbiome (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) plays in carbonate-precipitation in soils. Knowledge provided from this project will contribute to a greater understanding of the role the soil microbiome performs in carbon sequestration, and better land management practices.