Journal of Environmental Research And Development Vol. 5 No. 1, July-September 2010 240 Review Paper (SS-1) BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC PROCESSES AS A CARBON SEQUESTRATION STRATEGY J. B. Kambale* and V. K. Tripathi Division of Agricultural Engineering, IARI, New Delhi – 110 012, (INDIA) Received October 11, 2009 Accepted July 25, 2010 ABSTRACT Globally major concern is increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as its dominating impact on climate change. Globally 49 GtCO 2 -eq. per year emission is occurring, in which carbon dioxide is the major contributor. In India, total amount of GHGs emitted is 2.0 billion tonnes per annum, which account for only 4 per cent of the total global emissions. Majority of CO 2 emission is due to fuel combustion in the energy and industrial processes like cement and steel production and road transport. Disposing of the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into long-lived pools (terrestrial biosphere, underground, or ocean) and storing it securely so it is not immediately reemitted is referred as carbon sequestration. Biotic C sequestration involves capture of atmospheric C through photosynthesis and storage in biota, soil and wetlands. Land use, vegetation and soil management have a strong impact on the biotic processes of C sequestration. In geological formations, sequestration of CO 2 is possible in oil and coal gas reservoirs for storage and enhancing the recovery but maximum possibility of storage is in deep saline aquifers. Ocean is the largest potential sink for CO 2 , ocean fertilization and deeper injections is more efficient than shallower ones. Mineral sequestration is the safest way of carbon sequestration with the limitation that process is very slow and takes thousands of years. Understanding the C sequestration process in view of cost would help in better agricultural land use and management practices. Key Words : Climate change, Greenhouse gases, Carbon sequestration, Biotic process, Ocean sequestration * Author for correspondence