Use of olivine as a liming material in agriculture to decrease CO2 emissions

This paper investigates the potential of using forsterite olivine as an alternative for carbonate-containing limes in agriculture. The use of carbonate containing limes contributes to the anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Additional to replacement of agricultural lime, it may also increase the pH of soil and therefore the flux of bicarbonate from soil to the sea. Soil has been incubated using various amounts of olivine flour or lime in a relative acidic soil during eight months. The results show that during this period the effect of olivine on the soil pH is very small compared to lime. Compared to lime it is necessary to use approximately 35 times more olivine to get the same pH increase. Assuming similar costs for olivine and lime it is uneconomical to use olivine to replace lime. Currently also the Dutch Fertilisers Act does not allow olivine as a fertilizer due to the high amount of nickel compared to the neutralizing value.