In 2005, agriculture accounted for an estimated emission of 5.1 to 6.1 GtCO2-eq/yr (10– 12% of total global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs)). However, measures to mitigate GHGs emission from agricultural soils are limited to improved cropland practices such as crop rotation, nutrient management, tillage/residue management, agroforestry, and return to natural vegetation. These practices are not only far from substantially reducing GHGs emissions from soils or permanently stabilizing soil organic matter, but are also predicted to hardly match more than a maximum of 25% of the GHGs reductions required by the Kyoto Protocol within 2050. Despite the knowledge that GHGs release from soil largely derives from biochemical transformations of plant litter and soil humus (SH), no new and much wished biotechnological measures are adopted so far to augment mitigation. Here we propose an innovative approach to mitigate GHGs emissions from soils based on the in situ photo-polymerization of SH under biomimetic catalysis. Three Mediterranean soils of different physical and chemical properties were added with a synthetic watersoluble iron- porphyrin, irradiated by solar light, and subjected to 15, and 30 wetting and drying cycles.
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