MXPA00000085A - Method for measuring amounts of carbon from greenhouse gases - Google Patents

Abstract

Carbon sequestration of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) is effected through enhancement of plant growth using defoliation techniques with and without grazing animals. Processes and devices for measurement of the verifiable quantity of carbon sequestered are disclosed.

Description

METHOD FOR MEASURING CARBON AMOUNTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES • CROSS REFERENCE WITH RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a request in accordance with section 119 (e) of 35 USC, based on previously filed provisional requests, with serial number 60 / 051,701 filed on July 3, 1997 and with No. Of series 60 / 051,650 filed on July 3, 1997, of which the two are incorporated • hereby referenced, both are co-pending and it is believed that both disclose in an adequate and sufficient manner the subject matter claimed herein and is a partial continuation of the Request with Serial Number 08 / 956,216 filed on October 22, 1997.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to methods and an apparatus for quantifying the gases generated or sequestered by plant life and photosynthetic organisms and with means to ensure that plant life is a precise and reliable bioindicator and with a means to measure carbon sequestration in 25 sinkholes of pasture and herbaceous organisms and in the soil that sustains them.

P1O46 / 00MX BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which are found in amounts of • Traces in the atmosphere, absorb infrared energy 5 and prevent energy from leaving the atmosphere. These gases are often referred to as "greenhouse" gases. The increase in the atmosphere of greenhouse gas levels can therefore contribute to an increase in average global temperatures, resulting in adverse climatic changes, also known as global warming. During the last century, human activities such as the burning or combustion of fossil fuels has increased the levels of the so-called greenhouse gases. Since 1800, atmospheric concentrations of C02 have been increased by more than 25%, mainly from the combustion of • fossil fuels. For example, the burning of coal, oil and other organic-based fuels add up to 99% of the total C02 emissions in the United States of America. In 1994, 1,529 million tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) of CO2 were emitted, resulting direct from the combustion of fossil fuels and organic base. The other 1% of C02 emissions is a by-product of industrial practices not related to energy. These include the P1046 / 00MX production of cement and lime, the consumption of limestone and the production and use of sodium carbonate. During the last two centuries, the • concentration of atmospheric methane has more than doubled. Although methane is in the second position in quantity with respect to C02 as a greenhouse gas, methane is 24.5 times more effective at trapping heat or energy over a period of 100 years. In 1994, 205 MTCE of methane were emitted in the United States of America. The most important sources are landfills for municipal solid waste, accounting for 90 to 95% of the total landfill emissions. Currently, about 15% of the methane in landfills are recovered to use as a source of energy. Broadly speaking, one third of methane emissions in 1994 came from agricultural operations. Topping the list of sources is the enteric fermentation in the management of domestic livestock and manure. Approximately 27% of methane emissions in the United States of America during 1994 came from mining coal and oil resources. To solve this problem, they can implement at least two courses of action: (1) reduce the rate at which greenhouse gases are discharged into the atmosphere and (2) increase the rate at which these gases are cleared from the P1046 / 00MX atmosphere. Consequently, in response to concerns regarding greenhouse gases and in accordance with the commitments established in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States of America has undertaken efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of implementing a regulatory program, Congress and the President have requested voluntary action to reduce carbon emissions. The President's action plan on Change • Climate outlines a series of voluntary programs focused on the return of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by the year 2000. to the 1990 levels by means of the reduction in the emissions of carbon. When considering the protocol to control carbon emissions, we can refer to the sulfur dioxide (S02) share exchange component of the Acid Rain Program, based on the market. The Acid Rain Program allows electrical installations to adopt the strategy that has the best cost / benefit ratio to reduce S02 emissions in the generating units within their system. He Operational Permit of the Acid Rain Program outlines the specific requirements of the program and the compliance options chosen by each source. It is also required that the facilities P1046 / 00MX will install systems that continuously monitor the emissions of S02 and other pollutants, in order to track progress, ensure compliance and provide credibility to the program's exchange component. A parallel program can be designed to exchange carbon credits, taking the S02 Quota Exchange System as a model. The administration recently proposed emissions budgets not yet specified that could be introduced in banking or commercial operations among developed nations in order to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas emissions. In accordance with the "Draft Protocol Framework" a procedure to ensure the proper report or report, measurement, review and compliance would need to be established. This would provide a "joint implementation" by which countries without emission budgets could create and transfer emission reduction credits, commonly called carbon credits, by those that do. One source of these carbon credits could be green plants or other photosynthetic organisms, since these comprise a mechanism to clean or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Using the luminous energy of the sun, the P1046 / 00MX Carbon from the air in the form of carbon dioxide and soil water, the green leaves make sugar in a reaction called photosynthesis. A green plant • can use this energy either for immediate growth or to store it as starch for future use. In this way, the growth, death and degradation of plants are natural processes that produce organic matter by removing carbon compounds from the atmosphere. Organic matter is usually concentrated in a few inches higher than many soils, because most of the plant residues fall on the soil surface. The degradation of the root is also an important contribution to the deepest formation of organic matter in the soil. The soil formed under the meadows or other pastures, where the roots are dense and are evenly distributed a few feet deep from the top, has a high concentration of soil organic matter. By definition, this organic matter is very carbonaceous and represents the conversion of atmospheric C02 into soil organic matter. Although the photosynthesis of plants convert atmospheric carbon compounds into organic material from the soil, agricultural practices can have an impact on the efficiency of plant conversion. For many years, P1046 / 00MX known that crop and crop production generally results in a decrease in soil organic matter. University research • in Illinois, Missouri, Oklohoma and Oregon has shown that levels of organic matter in the soil will be significantly reduced after 30-40 years of cultivation, because microorganisms feed on crop residues and material organic soil exposed by tillage and a. or easily convert agricultural organic material into C02 as the final product. Also, the residue of the plants from a previous crop is incorporated into the soil and gradually decomposes to form the organic soil material. Soil organic matter includes both plant and animal materials that contain large amounts of carbon at this stage. However, as a result of this decomposition, the carbon dioxide accumulates in the air spaces of the soil and in solution in the soil. When the soil is tilled, a "burst" of C02 is released into the atmosphere. Simultaneously, oxygen enters the soil and displaces the entire reaction process to increase the organic decomposition which is an undesirable result. On the other hand, because air constitutes only up to 25-30% of the volume of the P1046 / 00MX soil, there may be little oxygen to oxidize the carbon stored in this organic material and release it back into the atmosphere as bioxide • carbon. This process to fix and store atmospheric carbon in a sink such as vegetation or soil is called carbon sequestration and the problem facing scientists and engineers is the way to properly quantify the process and improve the process from a quantitative point of view. • The promotion of the photosynthetic process is thus a desirable goal. To promote active growth and, in this way, the process of photosynthesis, a forage plant must emerge continuously a certain level of partial defoliation during its tempering growth in such a way that it does not restrict the growth of the root and that it encourages or stimulates the growth of the leaves. The • plants can not perform photosynthesis in a optics unless you have the green leaf material above the ground to absorb sunlight. The cutting and removal of the oldest growth of the plant stimulates growth, allowing a new growth photosynthetically more efficient and contributes to greater carbon sequestration by the plant. Also, the partial defoliation of grass and herbaceous plants stimulates the root system to P1046 / 0O X that grows optimally and stimulates the growth of new material from the green leaf plant. The importance of this is the process of fixing the carbon above and below the soil in the plant tissue, is that when the plant is growing vigorously, the plant removes more carbon carried by the air (ie, dioxide) carbon) and converts it into sugars and starches during the process of photosynthesis. The increase in the mass of the roots and the surface of the leaves, which is not shaded or overshadowed by the material of the mature and photosynthetically inefficient plant, allows the plant to photosynthesize more efficiently and persistently and grow during periods of stress In addition, plants that grow vigorously start growing earlier during their growing season and continue to grow later in the growing season, causing the plant to extract more carbon and fix more carbon in the tissue of the plant, the enzyme of the soil and the one below the ground, that is, leaves, stems and roots. The partial defoliation of the plant to achieve the optimal growth or development of the plant results in which the maximum carbon sequestration can be achieved by cutting, collecting and measuring grass and herbaceous crops in a predetermined program or, in other words by providing P1046 / 00MX a prescribed level of defoliation. Therefore, a problem is related to the development of methods and an apparatus to promote growth in • efficient green plants and to measure, quantitatively, growth in standard units, universally accepted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief, the present invention comprises or various methods, apparatuses and techniques for measuring the amount of carbon sequestered by photosynthetic organisms, such as green leafy plants. More particularly, when using various methods of testing, the quantitative amount of the sequestration of carbon in a given geographical area during a fixed time, is determined taking into account the greenhouse gas release process, as well as the quantitative capture of carbon-containing compounds from the atmosphere, such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (C02). In this way, we have discovered an important consequence of cutting and storing grass and herbaceous crops by providing a method for weighing or otherwise measuring the growth and the harvested plant material, after correction for moisture, in order to determine the amounts of C02 removed from the air. The method ensures the proper measurement of the quantities of P1046 / 00MX carbon dioxide removed from the air and a reporting system that documents these amounts removed from the air. Because a living plant removes or removes carbon dioxide from the air and because the anthropogenic activities needed to grow live plants can release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, the reporting system calculates the net carbon sequestered. The difference between the carbon dioxide released and the carbon dioxide removed or removed is then used to calculate the amount of carbon sequestered by the living plants in both portions of the plant, above and below the ground. Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for carbon sequestration. A further object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for increasing quantitative carbon sequestration. Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and methods for credibly measuring the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere through sequestration methods. Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus that uniformly and reasonably certify measurements of carbon dioxide sequestration. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in P1046 / 00MX following detailed description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following detailed description, reference is made to the drawings which are comprised by the following figures: Figure 1 is an example of a floor map of a geographical area using the invention; Figure 2 is a sub-divided fractional map or .0 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is another fractionated or subplotted map of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plot of grass plantations; and Figure 5 is a planting program.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED MODALITIES Deposits of sequestered carbon are commonly referred to as "collectors or sinks", sequestered carbon sinks are found in the aerial portion of terrestrial plants (stems, leaves, flowers, seeds) and in the portion of the plants that are below the ground (roots, bulbs, rhizomes, tubers). Woody plants, as well as grass and herbaceous plants, sequester carbon, however, the amount of carbon sequestered in some woody plants is difficult to measure accurately in the living plant P1046 / 00MX without destroying the plant. This is especially true in fruit orchards and pips or walnuts, vineyards and in some arboreal plantations.

• Many trees in the tropical and 5 northern forests have primary and secondary branches of different lengths, diameters and their shapes and separations are irregular. Woody plants sequester a large part of their carbon above the ground. This carbon is subject to release or by intentional or unintentional fires, diseases, degradation, storms and insects. An example of the magnitude of this problem is illustrated by the following report: In 1995, fires in the forest Northern Canada consumed more than 3 million acres, an area 1/2 the size of the Netherlands. A study by Canadian Forest Service scientists concluded that the northern forest had lost almost 1/5 of its biomass in the last 20 years, due to the huge increases in fires and insect attacks. Prior to 1970, the forest had absorbed 128 million tons of carbon each year, in accordance with the study, more than necessary, to offset Canada's fossil fuel emissions. But in the last decade, that balance has shifted and the forest has absorbed an average P1O46 / 00MX of 57 million tons of carbon each year. (Study of the Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Center, reported by • Greenpeace, Canada Press Relay, June 16, 1995.) Thus, it seems that grass and herbaceous plants have advantages over the supply of a carbon sink. Some of the advantages that grass and herbaceous plants have - OR above the woody plants in the formation of carbon sinks are: 1. grass and herbaceous plants reach their physiological maturity much earlier than woody plants and, therefore, they can begin to hijack the maximum amounts of carbon. In as little as sixty days from germination, annual cycle grass and herbaceous plants are sequestering the maximum properties of C02. Examples of these plants are sorghums, annual cycle rye, Alexandria clover and others. Perennial grass and herbaceous plants generally require one to two seasons of growth or development to reach physiological maturity before sequestering the maximum amounts of C02. The active management of perennial grass and herbaceous plants and annual cycle by providing optimum levels of fertilizers and optimal defoliation, P1046 / 00MX stimulates the plant to perform photosynthesis at the highest levels, eliminate or remove the maximum amounts of C02 from the atmosphere and perpetuate the plant indefinitely. 2. Grass and herbaceous plants are more widely adapted to climatic conditions than woody plants. They have the ability to bloom in swamps, meadows and deserts. They can tolerate temperatures that vary from those found in the tropics to those found in the tundra. 3. grass and herbaceous plants are often sown at rates ranging from 25,000 seeds per acre to rates exceeding 6.5 million seeds per acre. Frequently, it is desirable that these plants produce turf. The leaves of grass-forming plants with little separation intercept the rain and protect the soil from erosion and increase water infiltration. The leaves act as solar collectors. Dense pots of actively growing grass are very efficient and very effective solar collectors to remove C02 from the air and to store carbohydrates in a sink at the base of leaves, stems, roots in expansion. 4. Grass and herbaceous plants are used as cover crops in some agroforestry facilities. The rows of trees in the garden P1046 / O0MX are often separated by grass or vegetable strips. Pastures and legumes protect the soil surface against erosion, create • organic matter and fix nitrogen in soil 5 for the benefit of trees. Many grass and herbaceous plants sequester equal amounts of carbon between the roots and the aerial portion of the plant. However, certain grass species that grow in arid or semi-arid regions 1.0 may have root masses that • exceed 5 times the amount of mass found in the area portion of the plant. Another mode of the method thus contemplates selective cutting, harvesting and measuring of grass and herbaceous crops in a predetermined program and provides a prescribed level and a defoliation technique different from that of simple mowing. The method also provides a • means for harvesting the plant material and weighing or otherwise quantifying that material after it is corrected for its moisture content, in order to determine the amount of carbon dioxide removed or removed from the atmosphere within a certain geographical region. 25 Grass and herbaceous plants store carbohydrates in plant tissues when photosynthesis produces energy (sugars) that exceeds the needs of the plant in terms of respiration P1O46 / 00 X and growth. Roots, rhizomes, tubers and bulbs as well as other vegetative and reproductive tissues accumulate starches and carbohydrates in # plant. The carbon stored in the plant tissue in the soil and on the soil itself is normally safe from fire and other forms of oxidation as long as the soil is not disturbed by tillage or drainage. The carbon in this form can be considered as carbon permanently or sequestered. • The carbon stored in the aerial portion of the plant is susceptible to oxidation, often by design. Also, the air carbon sink sequestered is recycled annually as food for humans, food for wild and domestic animals and as fuel. The carbon released from forage plants or gramineous plants when they are consumed is • equal to the amount of C02 that the plant extracted from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Research conducted by the Biofuels Food Supply Development Program (BFDP) of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) of the Department of Energy (DOE), seems to suggest that, based on the BTU, certain grass plants, specifically millet (panicum virgatum) can emit approximately 17% less C02 with combustion than bituminous coal. A mixture of coal-millet has the P1046 / 00 X potential to decelerate the accumulation of C02 in the atmosphere. Biofuels differ from fossil fuels in that, when burned, ß biofuels emit only a C02 potion that they removed during growth (an equal amount is retained in the soil). This is in contrast to fossil fuels, where these fuels simply release C02 into the atmosphere, which had been in geological storage for millions of years. Mowing or chopping by rotary, lamellar or similar type mowers, as a method of mechanical defoliation, only adjusts the height of the plant. Separate the upper portion of the plant and deposits that plant material separated in an irregular way in the stubble on the tracks of the wheels in a way that it is difficult or impossible to collect it accurately. Additionally, the separate portion of the plant covers or hides the rest of the portion of the growing plant. Low-altitude plants are frequently suppressed global photosynthetic activity. More importantly, there is very little, if anything, net carbon sequestered in the sink This is due to the fact that the material separated from the plant oxidizes and releases carbon dioxide back into the air. However, approximately half (1/2) of the dioxide Carbon P1046 / 00MX (C02) removed from the atmosphere can be retained as persistent carbon in the roots in the soil. The mowing process usually includes the • use of an internal combustion engine that uses a petroleum distillate as an energy source. For example, combustion of gasoline releases approximately 19-20 pounds of carbon into the air per gallon of burned gasoline; this same is true for diesel fuel with approximately 20-26 pounds of carbon being released per gallon of diesel • used. Simply mowing live plants can potentially release more carbon dioxide into the air that living, growing plants can remove from the air, especially if root growth is suppressed by a mowing protocol that does not allow sufficient regrowth of the portion of the plant that is above the ground. • The present method therefore contemplates the controlled defoliation and selective selection of grass and herbaceous plants. In this way, as a first step, by means of boundaries and mojoneras, the geographical region of controlled defoliation is established. Herbaceous plants, pastures and photosynthetic materials within this region would then be inventoried and the other relevant characteristics of the area would also be inventoried. For example, the type of soil, the conditions P1046 / 00MX, the extension of the growing or development season, rainfall, etc., are inventory information that is § relates to the specific area in combination with 5 the identification and classification of plant material. Normally, the method uses differentially corrected global location satellites (DGPS) technology to establish the coordinates and 0 the specific measurements in an area of the earth. f These easily identifiable points fix the location of zones and fix the amounts of surface area within the zone. Even quantitative data can be determined with respect to the condition of the crop in the area. Demarcations can also be used but are no longer necessary to establish the perimeter limits in general. The subdivisions within the zone, necessary for the • optimal production of grass and herbaceous plants, can be calculated using this technology (DGPS) from remote locations, using the associated technology of geographic information systems (GIS). Integrated DGPS-GIS technology and satellite-generated image formation used to create base maps of growing and grazing areas (where relevant), to create a program to monitor and measure the growth of the plants and to coordinate the P1046 / 00MX mechanical or other defoliation of developing plants. Images generated via satellite and processed from a growing and grazing area can be used to develop sets of 5 data that measure the vigor of the vegetation. Next, the plant material is separated at or near the ground level, using bar cutters, disc mowers or other suitable harvesting machines. The k10 crop is then collected by packaging or packing or by other means, weighed or measured in some other way, to calculate the effective carbon content in them. In its growth and harvest pattern, several specific species are stimulated of plants. For example, it is known that eucalyptus trees, avocado trees and similar types of plants grow back from a specific existing root system once the plant is cut. In this way, the photosynthetic process can improve by cutting and removing the stump material and collecting the material while the plant then grows back from the stump. The cloning of the particular herbaceous material to promote the characteristics of The rapid and shrubby growth of the plant (that is, the square meters of surface of the leaves exposed to the sun or the mass of the roots) is also possible. The plants can be processed P1046 / 00MX then in a way in which the plant material can be combined with the bacteria, so that the carbon content of the plant will serve to * increase new growth. 5 Thus, there must be two kinds of carbon credits. A class of first or premium credit or, also permanent credit, can be a measurement of the carbon permanently sequestered in the carbon sink that is below the ground ^ J.0 or underground, associated with the roots, etc. Recyclable or biologically secondary credits include the measurement of carbon sequestration of carbon sequestered above ground or air, which has a variable and usually shorter life.

As another alternative modality or modality of the invention, instead of the mechanical defoliation followed by the analysis of the resulting photosynthetic growth and the classification of the carbon credits, that is, the quantification of the carbon sink. carbon, in a method for the quantitative analysis of photosynthetic growth, animal husbandry can be used. In this way, the use of grazing animals is to be a device for harvesting forage vegetable material, in order to determine the carbon sequestered. The partial defoliation of the plant to achieve the optimum plant growth that results in the maximum sequestration of carbon is carried out by means of the P1046 / 00MX manipulation and management of multiple species of grazing animals and, in addition, through classes of animals within species to reach a level »Prescribed, predetermined, defoliation and 5 carbon sequestration. Predictions of animal growth, lactation or body condition in general can be made and verified by the use of easily obtainable devices, such as scales or more complicated devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound imaging devices. The method uses, for example, grazing animals identified in electronic form as devices for harvesting plant material forages from specific areas of the place. These animals have the ability to convert forage plants into, for example, weight gain or milk. The changes observed in the weight and appearance of animals and in measurable products such as milk, are used to calculate the amount of plant material that the animal ingested. From the known quantities of ingested plant material from specific regions of the terrain, total carbon can be calculated kidnapped by the growth or development of the plant, using the formulas of the energy department or other formulas. Again, the method starts using the P1046 / 00MX differentially corrected global location satellite technology (DGPS) to establish the specific coordinates of a region or area of the • Earth. These points, which can be easily and repeatedly identified, fix the location of the grazing areas and fix the amounts of surface area within the area. Subdivisions within the area, necessary for optimum grazing, can be calculated using this technology from remote locations, using the technology of the associated geographic information systems (GIS). The integrated DGPS and GIS technologies are used to create a scheme for controlled grazing and for its subsequent monitoring.

The same integrated DGPS and GIS technology combined with modular software can also track or track the movement of animals in dense cover (canyons, forests and brambles) from remote locations. This allows the grazing administrator monitor and verify that certain specific animals grazed certain specific areas at certain specific times. Grazing animals graze selectively. This phenomenon admits a range of almost total defoliation of certain plants, within an identified area, until the almost negligible defoliation of certain plants in the same area. This is different in a distinctive way from the action of a chemical compound or mixtures P1046 / 00MX chemical defoliants, which are selective for certain plants. The chemical drive mode that focuses on specific plants frequently destroys the plant. Destruction may not be appropriate in situations where suppression is only desired. Dead plant material hides or hides plants that are not white, reducing their ability to optimally photosynthesize. In addition, many chemical herbicides are petroleum-based and contain use restrictions that can turn them into inappropriate options as defoamers in sensitive areas of watersheds or other critical lands. During the review, the amounts of carbon sequestered by the plant tissue above and below the surface of the soil and stored in the soil itself, is determined by performing a series of steps. First, the boundaries of a region of the land for which quantification will be defined are established. The limits can be established using satellite technology as previously mentioned or the normal demarcation technology. Next, defoliation techniques are introduced into the region, including or including various grazing animals in a defined number and defined species or mixtures of species. Animals introduced into the region are identified by any of the various means that P1046 / 00 X include marking or tattooing. These can also be, and usually is, equipped with a signal generating device, which has a • recording of the various attributes of the animal at the beginning or at the time of zeroing of the measurement period and, preferably, including a means to measure changes in the calibration of original attributes. For example, age, weight, body condition, percentage are initially recorded ^ 10 body attributable to fats and other physical characteristics of animal species and these are continuously updated. The animals are then maintained in the measured region for a specific period of time. Simultaneously, compiles a database related to the foliage of the area. During a fixed period of time, grazing animals will partially defoliate the • foliage of the area. After a period of time determined, the condition and height of the foliage are measured again and from them and the change in the conditions of the animals, the amount of foliage consumed by the animals is calculated. This number then becomes a calculation of the improved foliage growth rate in the geographical area. This increased growth pattern will provide an indication of the amount of carbon compounds transported by the plants P1046 / 00MX TABLE I CARBON SEIZURE CALCULATIONS Classification of the United States of America based on land Private land 1375 million acres State and local public land 108 million federal acres 408 million acres Rural land 1391 million acres Farmland 382 million acres CRP 36 million acres Pasture 125 million acres Perennial meadows 399 million acres Forests 395 million acres Miscellaneous 55 million acres Land available for pasture and herbaceous crops 942 million acres Using these calculations as a basis for the identification of candidate regions for the cultivation of various plants, one can calculate of sequestered carbon, associated to said regions as for example in Table II: TABLE II CALCULATIONS OF CARBON SEIZURE IN FIXED CROPS (pasture and perennial grasslands CRP) P1046 / 00MX Agropiro 12"average annual rainfall (map) states of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Basin F Annual production 3000 pounds of straw per acre 6500 pounds of roots per acre Carbon Equivalent 3000 pounds x 45% = 1350 6500 pounds x 55% = 3575 Total carbon sequestered = 4925 lbs Carbon credits (value $ 50 per ton = $ .025 / lb of OTC market): $ 10 per ton = $ .005 / lb Potential income: 4925 pounds x $ .025 / lb = $ 123.12 per acre 4925 pounds x $ .005 / lb = $ 24.62 per acre x 399 million acres = $ 9,823,000,000 Perennial Cebadilla 30-40"map States of the Great Lakes; southern top Annual production 7,000 pounds of straw per acre 7740 pounds of roots per acre Pounds of roots 7000 pounds x 45% = 3150 7740 pounds x 55% = 4257 Total carbon sequestered = 7407 lbs Potential income: 7407 pounds x $ .025 / lb = $ 185.17 per acre 7407 pounds x $ .005 / lb = $ 37.03 per acre x 125 million acres = $ 4,628,750,000 With respect to Table II, the following is observed: CRP means Conservation Program of P1046 / 00MX Reservations. The carbon equivalent was calculated as a percentage of the weight based on the dry matter weights of the plant material above the ground and below the ground, ie the grass and / or herbaceous material. In general terms, the composition of a typical plant on a dry basis is 45% carbon in the portion of the plant above the ground and 55% carbon in the portion of the plant below the ground. (Adapted from Barden, Halfacre, and Parrish 1987). An additional example is set forth in Table III, in relation to straw terrain and straw plants.

TABLE III CARBON SEEDING CALCULATIONS IN STRAW LANDS (BIOFUELS) Straw field of 40 90% alfalfa 10% grass yielding acre Yield: ler cut 3 tons / acre 2nd cut 1.8 tonnes / acre 3rd cut 1.2 tonnes / acre Production total air dried (90% dry matter) 20 = 6 tonnes / acre Dry alfalfa = 90% x5.4 = 4.86 tonnes / acre Dry grass = 10% x5.4 = .54 tonnes / acre Calculations of carbon credits: P1046 / 00MX Alfalfa: Above ground 45% x .86 tons / acre = 2,187 tons of carbon / acre F Below ground 55% x4.86 tons / acrex3 = 2.673 tons of carbon / acre Grass: Above ground 45% x.54 tons / acre = .243 tons of carbon / acre Below ground 55% x .54 tons / acrexl .1 = .29 tons of carbon / acre TOTAL CARBON KIDNAP = 5,393 tons of carbon / acre Potential income: Carbono@$10.00/tonx5.393tons/acrex40acres = $ 2,157.20 Carbono@$50.00/tonx5.393tons/acrex40acres = $ 10,786.00 NOTE: Because the straw requires mechanical equipment, the spent fuel for the production of straw tonnages must deduct from the total amounts of carbon sequestered. NOTE: If the straw is removed and sold either as food or for biofuels, the carbon content in the dry matter tons will be will transfer to the buyer, that is, to the straw or service merchant.

P1046 / 00MX TABLE IV CALCULATIONS OF CARBON SEQUEST IN ANNUAL CULTIVATION LANDS Annual crops (for example, carbon flows need to be considered) Annual production 120 bushels of grain per acre = 6720 pounds per acre Residues (husks, 6000 pound kernels, stems) = per acre Roots = 12,000 pounds per acre Carbon equivalent 6720 lbs x 45% = 3024 6000 lbs x 45% = 2700 12,000 lbs x 55 £ = 6600 Total carbon sequestered - 12,324 Comparison of net carbon sequestered by two systems of tillage farming systems to cultivate corn: Assumptions 1) use the same annual production and carbon equivalent as above for the two tillage systems; 2) The loss of carbon from the conventional plow (landfill plow) is equal to 134% of the carbon sequestered in the crop residue, including roots; 3) The loss of carbon without tillage is equal to 27% of the carbon sequestered in the crop residue, including roots. 4) conventional tillage uses 6.6 gallons of P1046 / 00 X residual fuels (diesel # 2) per acre (Siemens, Griffith, &Parsons, Nat. Corn Handbook); 5) No-till 1.65 gallons of residual fuel (diesel $ 2 per acre (Siemens Griffith &Parsons, Nat. Corn Handbook); 6) diesel emissions = 7.08 pounds of carbon / gallon. Calculations: Conventional tillage: Carbon content of 6,000 lbs x 45% = 2700 lbs Crop residue 12,000 lbs x 55% carbon content = 6600 lbs Total available carbon to return to soil = 9300 lbs Carbon loss per conventional tillage9300 lbsxl34% = 12,464 lbs No tillage: Carbon content of the crop residue 6,000 lbs x 45% = 2700 lbs carbon content of the roots 12,000 lbs x 55% = 6600 lbs Total carbon available for return to soil = 9300 lbs Carbon loss for no tillage = 9300 lbsx27% = 2511 lbs A. Amount of carbon saved due to change in tillage practices: 12,464 lbs - 2511 lbs = 9951 lbs P1046 / 00MX B. Fuel savings: Fuel used by conventional tillage 6.6 gal / acre Less fuel used for No tillage 1.65 gal / acre Difference in fuel 4.95 gal / acre used Difference in fuel x emissions per diesel = Lbs of carbon saved by the change in tillage. 4.95 gal / acre x 7.08 lbs carbon / gal = 35 lbs of carbon saved / acre C. Total carbon savings = 9951 lbs + 35 lbs = 9986 lbs of carbon per acre D. Potential revenue: 9986 lbs x $ .025 / lb = $ 249.65 per acre 9986 lbs x $ .005 / lb = $ 49.93 per acre x 80 million acres = $ 3,994,400,000 The revenues to pay the carbon credits and to create in this way an incentive to establish the sequestration of the greenhouse gases can be generated by means of an overpricing to the fuels according to table IV.

TABLE V CARBON CREDITS MOUNTED TO FUEL Assumptions: Gasoline emits 19 Ib of C02 per burned-out gallon Diesel emits 26 Ib of C02 per burned-out gallon P1046 / 00MX Carbon credits @ $ 10 / ton or $ .005 / lb If carbon credits are tied to the sale of gasoline: f 19 lbs x $ .005 / lb = $ .089 gallons If carbon credits are tied diesel sales: 26 lbs x $ .005 / lb = $ .13 gallons If the carbon credits are tied to a bushel of corn (ethanol): 56 lbs x 45% = 25.2 lbs of carbon / fanega x $. 005 / lb = $ .126 / bushel.

In this way, the extra income associated with fuel sales or recorded sales fuel, will be used to pay the creators of parcels or regions of greenhouse gas collection, exemplified by Tables I, II and III and a market or exchange system can be adopted to facilitate the transactions. As detailed in this, there are multiple ways to develop the so-called carbon credits. One way is only to plant, cultivate, defoliate and collect various grasses and green plants, as described. The plants can be harvested or not or pruned totally or partially. In another method to achieve carbon sequestration, animals can be used P1046 / 00MX to accentuate the growth of the crop and to increase the rate of return on investment in pastures or crops under the breeding of animals F for the market. When analyzing animal husbandry, a value of certifiable carbon credits can be obtained. The following is an example of this method of raising animals: LIVESTOCK A farm in central Illinois consists of highly erodible soil types with permanent perennial vegetation where certain areas are overgrown with summer cycle plants. The goal is to produce approximately 500 pounds of beef per acre in two grazing cycles, one of which begins around April 1 and the other begins around September 15. A base customer will buy the calves directly to the farm. An alternative marketing program is to sell livestock through Illinois livestock auctions.

Production costs The following is a draft budget for the autumn 1997 grazing season.

P1046 / O0MX BUDGET - AUTUMN 1997 Returns of cattle on 30 acres 6640 animal-days VARIABLE COSTS: $ total $ per acre Average Departure Weight $ 20,759 $ 691.97 (February 28, 1998) 40 heads 674 @ .77 Average Entry Price $ 13,940 $ 464.66 (September 15, 1997) 40 heads 425 @ .82"Va-l, or d? E l. a gain = $ 691.97- $ 464.66 = $ 0.912 2491bs OTHER VARIABLE COSTS: $ Total $ Per acre Salts and Minerals (1.6 $ 1195.20 $ 39.84 oz./ head / day) Fish meal (6 996.00 33.20 oz. / Head / day) Vet Med 45.00 1.50 Transportation and commissions 300.00 10.00 Fertilizers 600.00 20.00 Loss per death 1% 4.64 Interest (15000 @ 10%) 750.00 25.00 Total other variable costs, $ 134.18 Total Other variable costs of Profit = 134.18 / 249 lbs = $ 0.538 / lb Total variable costs: $ 134.18 + $ 464.66 = $ 598.84 The soil of this farm does not lend itself to the production of crops for cash sale. Figure 1 illustrates the constitution of the soil of the P1046 / 00MX test plot. To maximize the growth of grass and plants, the land was divided into F cells or subplots for summer grazing (Figure 2) and for winter grazing (Figure 3). Pastures were planted in the plots as shown in Figure 4. Table VI correlates the cell or subplot areas with the pastures: TABLE VI FORAGE DATA BASE P1O46 / 00MX F Planting is carried out in accordance with the program reported in Figure 5. November to March is the inactive or resting season. The grass grows during the rest of the year. Two groups P1046 / 00MX of calves fed on the pastures moving them from cell to cell in the summer season (April - August) for a group and a second group or group of winter f moving from cell to cell in winter 5 during the months of September to March. The movement from cell to cell (subplot or meadow) is carried out in a cycle of 1-3 days or as described in the specific controlled defoliation program, that is, the grazing plan, specific to an area j? or grazing areas, identified using DGPS-GIS technology or other land demarcation protocols. Each movement is accompanied by data collection, which includes the weight of the livestock and the height of the grass. 15 Table VII is a calculation of the carbon credits generated by the process.

TABLE VII CALCULATION OF THE 30 ACRES 20 CARBON CREDIT From the budget for the autumn of 1997 Total output weight 26,960 lbs Total input weight 17,000 lbs Total gain 9,960 lbs Earnings per acre (9960/30 Ac) 332 lbs Pasture conversion efficiency of the literature 8.5 lbs of grass (dry basis) = 1 lb of gainful animal P1046 / 00 X Total lbs of gain converted to grass 9960 lbs of gain x 8.5 lbs = 84,660 lbs of grass Total lbs of carbon sequestered from the pasture 45% x 84.660 lbs of grass = 38,097 lbs of carbon Proportion of root growth to top growth in ball grass (from literature) 1.1: 1 Total weight of root growth 84660 lbs of grass x 1.1 = 93126 lbs of roots Literature value:% of carbon in the roots of 5 pastures = 55% Total of lbs of carbon sequestered in the roots 55% x 93126 lbs of grass = 51,219 lbs of carbon Total pounds of carbon in the growth of the 0 green part and roots 38,097 lbs (green part) + 51,219 lbs (roots) = 83,316 lbs or 44,658 tons Tons of carbon per acre 5 44,658 tons / 30 acres = 1.4886 tons per acre of carbon sequestered Table VIII illustrates the correlation between P1046 / O0MX the consumption of the plants and the weight of the animals. The data of this type are then used in accordance with Table VII to calculate the ^ carbon credits F P1046 / 00MX or TABLE VIII o o S X THE TABLE SHOWS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT AND DRY MATTER CONSUMPTION PER HEAD PER DAY F P1046 / 00MX P1046 / 00MX P1046 / 00MX CONCLUSION Carbon credits can be commercialized with refiners and companies that generate greenhouse gases. The 5 companies can acquire the credits and be certified to sell an equivalent amount of fuel. Failures in the commercialization of certified fuel or products will avoid the opportunity to market the products or, alternatively, will require the payment of a surcharge, for example. There are numerous variants to the method and apparatus disclosed. Thus, the invention is limited only by the following claims and equivalents.

P1046 / 00MX

Claims (8)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, is F claims as property what is contained in the following 5 CLAIMS: 1. A method to measure and quantify amounts of carbon sequestered in forage plant tissues above and below the surface of the soil, the method comprises the steps of:? establish drops and boundaries of a land region; provide ruminant grazing animals in the region; initially record the initial conditions of the animals; compile a database of information specific to the land region comprised of information about soil types, fertility levels, inventories of forage plants, 20 climatic conditions including daily growth rate, extension of growing season or growth , rain fall and snow fall; compile a program for 2: 5 defoliation controlled by ruminant grazing animals in said region; release ruminant animals from grazing, in accordance with the program of P1046 / 0OMX controlled defoliation in the land region; remove ruminant grazing animals from the land region, in accordance with the program; 5 measure changes in animal conditions, which occurred during the program; measure changes in plant conditions, which occurred during the program; convert the changes in Mp conditions to the animals in quantities of fodder consumed from that specific region of land; and additionally converting amounts of fodder consumed by the ruminant grazing animals of the land region in amounts of 15 carbon.
2. 2. A method according to claim 1, including equipping each animal with a DGPS signal generating device, during the program, where the coordinates of the DGPS delineate the areas of 20 grazing, where carbon is sequestered, the DGPS signaling device also measures changes in animal conditions.
3. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the DGPS signaling device also 25 provides a record of the movement of the animal in the region.
4. 4. A method to quantify the amounts of carbon sequestered in the tissue Plant P1046 / 00MX through photosynthesis, which comprises the steps of: identifying the drops, boundaries and f descriptions of a land region; 5 compile information specific to the region, which includes information on soil types, fertility levels, inventories of forage plants, climatic conditions, including daily growth rate, extension of the season of 0 crop or growth, fall of rainfall and snow fall; to compile a program for the defoliation controlled by mechanical means of the plants of the region; 15 defoliate at least partially, the plants of the region by mechanical means; collect defoliated plant material; and compile the carbon credits from the defoliated plant material.
5. 5. A method according to claim 4, including the step of providing the coordinates of the DGPS to delineate the areas of growth or development, where the carbon is sequestered.
6. 6. A method according to claim 4, in 25 where the difference between the carbon dioxide released by any mechanical devices used in defoliation and the carbon dioxide removed from the air by photosynthesis are compiled P1046 / 00MX to provide the net amount of carbon sequestered by the live plant in portions of the plant above and below ground level.
7. 7. A method according to claim 4, comprising the step of agreeing the distinctive values of carbon dioxide sequestration for (a) the growth of the roots of the plant material, the umification of the crop residue and the humification of the waste. animals and (b) plant material, stems, leaves, leaves and other plants other than roots.
8. 8. A method according to claim 4, comprising the controlled growth of woody or herbaceous plants. fifteen P1046 / 00MX