The role of earthworms in enhanced mineral weathering - Understanding their impact on carbon dynamics and sustainable fertilisation

New technologies are needed to remove carbon dioxide from the air and slow down climate change. One promising method is enhanced mineral weathering, which captures carbon dioxide by spreading crushed rocks on soils. While much is known about non-living factors that speed up this process, such as temperature and rock type, far less is known about living ones. This research looked at how earthworms can influence enhanced mineral weathering to sequester carbon and improve soil fertility. Using several experiments at different scales, this study showed that earthworms affect carbon dynamics both while they are alive and after they die, although in different ways, within an artificial system. This research also tested whether rock processed by earthworms could improve fertilisation and carbon storage in grasslands. Overall, this work shows that we should consider the full life cycle of soil organisms when studying carbon dynamics. It also highlights the potential of enhanced mineral weathering to remove carbon from the atmosphere in grasslands.