Cultivation of aromatic plant for nature-based sustainable solutions for the management of degraded/marginal lands: techno-economics and carbon dynamic

Abstract

The cultivation of aromatic grasses on marginal/degraded land attracts attention due to their remediation potential, low input cost, and economic gain. During the distillation of these aromatic grasses, a huge amount of solid and liquid waste (hydrosol) is generated, which is not only rich in carbon content but also has a good amount of nutrient. This review summarized the potential of aromatic plants for the restoration and vaporization of distilled waste into different value-added products. In this review, estimates of the economic cost and carbon dynamics for cultivation, distillation, and waste valorisation of aromatic grasses were made using available data. Based on the literature, the available degraded land reported for India (38,600 ha) was used for the calculation. The review discussed Scientometrics analysis, the remediation potential of aromatic plants, and various routes of valorization of distilled waste generated to achieve sustainable development goals. Scientometrics analysis demonstrated the studies that include the phytoremediation potential of aromatic grasses in recent years. Among the aromatic grasses, Chrysopogon zizaniodes (L.) Nash., Cymbopogon flexuosus and Cymbopogon martini were majorly used for reclamation purposes for dry land, mine-affected areas, and metal and pesticide-contaminated soils. The estimated profitability of the cultivation and carbon sequestration potential of these grasses in marginal/degraded land could be 22–629 million USD. Our estimations showed that the cost of carbon sequestration by the cultivation of the aromatic plant in degraded land could be 16–45 million USD. The conversion of distilled waste generated into compost, vermicompost, and biochar could sequester about 0.02 X105-335 X105 t of carbon (cost: 0.2–1913 million USD). The use of hydrosol and smoke water released during the process could sequester about 0.014 to 7403 t of carbon ( cost 0.001 to 0.42 million USD). Overall the review demonstrated the sustainability and carbon footprinting of the remediation process by aromatic grasses. The review allowed the exploration of knowledge-based strategies to unlock the potential of aromatic plants for restoration and carbon sequestration, along with the value addition of distilled waste in a sustainable manner. However, more databases are needed to support the information, which includes the productivity and selectivity of individual aromatic plant for different soil and agro-climatic regions.Graphical