Alkalinity: A measure of the capacity of soil or water to neutralize acids, which can influence the chemical reactions in ERW, promoting carbonate mineral formation and enhancing carbon sequestration.

Basalt: A volcanic rock rich in silicate minerals, commonly used in ERW due to its ability to chemically react with carbon dioxide, facilitating carbon sequestration through natural weathering processes.

Bicarbonate Production: The formation of bicarbonate ions during the weathering of silicate minerals, which plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration by capturing carbon dioxide in a stable form.

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): The process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with enhanced rock weathering being a promising method that utilizes natural geological processes to sequester CO₂.

Carbon Sequestration: The long-term storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations or through biological processes, such as enhanced rock weathering, which helps mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels.

Carbon Sink: A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases; enhanced rock weathering can create carbon sinks by sequestering CO₂ in soils through mineral reactions.

Carbonate Mineral Formation: The process by which carbon dioxide reacts with minerals to form stable carbonate compounds, a key outcome of enhanced rock weathering that contributes to long-term carbon storage.

Carbonic Acid: A weak acid formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water, playing a significant role in the weathering process by facilitating the breakdown of silicate minerals in ERW.

Cation Exchange: The process by which positively charged ions (cations) in soil are exchanged with those in a solution, influencing nutrient availability and soil fertility, which can be enhanced through ERW.

Community Engagement: The process of involving local communities in decision-making and implementation of ERW projects, ensuring their needs and concerns are addressed, fostering trust, and promoting sustainable practices.

Crop Yield: The total quantity of crop produced per unit area, which can be enhanced through improved soil health and nutrient availability resulting from the application of rock dust in ERW.

Deployment Scale: The extent or size of an ERW project, which can vary from small experimental plots to large agricultural fields, affecting the overall impact on carbon sequestration and soil health.

Dunite: A dense, coarse-grained igneous rock composed primarily of olivine, used in ERW for its high magnesium content, which can enhance carbon dioxide absorption through weathering processes.

Economic Feasibility: An assessment of the financial viability of implementing ERW projects, considering costs, potential carbon credits, and economic benefits to determine if the project is sustainable and worthwhile.

Ecosystem Services: The benefits provided by ecosystems, such as clean water, pollination, and soil fertility, which can be positively influenced by enhanced rock weathering practices that improve soil health.

Energy Requirements: The amount of energy needed to process and apply rock materials in ERW, which can impact the overall carbon footprint and efficiency of the carbon dioxide removal process.

Environmental Impact Assessment: A systematic evaluation of the potential environmental effects of an ERW project, ensuring that ecological, social, and health impacts are considered before implementation.

Erosion Control: Practices aimed at preventing soil erosion, which can be enhanced through ERW by improving soil structure and health, thereby maintaining land productivity and reducing sediment runoff.

Field Application: The practical implementation of enhanced rock weathering techniques in agricultural settings, involving the distribution of rock dust to improve soil health and sequester carbon.

Field Trials: Experimental studies conducted in real-world agricultural settings to assess the effectiveness and impacts of ERW practices on soil health, crop yield, and carbon sequestration.

Geochemical Cycling: The natural processes that recycle chemical elements through the Earth's systems, including the weathering of rocks, which plays a crucial role in carbon cycling and sequestration.

Geological Timescales: Timeframes over which geological processes occur; relevant for understanding the long-term impacts of enhanced rock weathering on carbon sequestration and the stability of mineralized carbon.

Gigatonne Scale Removal: The large-scale removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, measured in gigatonnes (one billion tonnes), which enhanced rock weathering aims to achieve through widespread application.

Grain Size: The size of individual particles in a material, which affects the rate of weathering; finer grains increase surface area, enhancing chemical reactions and carbon dioxide absorption in ERW.

Grinding Process: The mechanical process of reducing rock particles to a finer size, which increases the surface area for chemical reactions in ERW, enhancing the weathering rate and carbon sequestration potential.

Grinding/Milling: The processes of mechanically breaking down rock into smaller particles, increasing surface area for chemical reactions in ERW, thereby enhancing the efficiency of carbon sequestration.

Health Risks: Potential negative impacts on human health associated with the application of rock dust, including exposure to harmful minerals or contaminants, necessitating careful assessment and management in ERW projects.

Heavy Metals: Metallic elements with high densities that can be toxic to living organisms; their presence in rock dust must be monitored to prevent environmental and health risks in ERW applications.

Isotope Analysis: A technique used to study the ratios of different isotopes in materials, providing insights into the sources and processes of carbon sequestration in enhanced rock weathering applications.

Leaching: The process by which soluble substances are washed out from soil or rock, which can affect nutrient availability and environmental impacts in ERW, necessitating careful management.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product's life, from raw material extraction to disposal, used to assess the sustainability of ERW.

Lifecycle Analysis (LCA): A comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts of a product or process throughout its entire lifecycle, from extraction to disposal, used to evaluate the sustainability of ERW practices.

Logistics And Transportation: The planning and management of the movement of materials, such as rock dust, to and from deployment sites, which is crucial for the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of ERW projects.

Long-Term Carbon Cycle: The natural process of carbon storage and release over geological timescales, which enhanced rock weathering aims to influence by sequestering carbon in stable mineral forms.

Mine Tailings: The waste materials left after the extraction of valuable minerals from ore, which can be repurposed in ERW to enhance carbon sequestration while addressing waste management issues.

Mineral Dissolution: The process by which minerals break down and release ions into solution, a key reaction in ERW that facilitates the capture of carbon dioxide and promotes carbonate formation.

Monitoring, Reporting, And Verification (MRV): A systematic approach to track the performance and impacts of ERW projects, ensuring that carbon sequestration claims are accurate and that environmental standards are met.

Nutrient Release: The process by which nutrients are made available to plants from soil or rock materials, which can be enhanced through ERW, improving soil fertility and crop productivity.

Ocean Alkalinization: A process that increases the alkalinity of ocean waters, enhancing their capacity to absorb atmospheric CO₂, thus contributing to climate change mitigation through natural chemical reactions.

Olivine: A magnesium iron silicate mineral used in enhanced rock weathering, known for its ability to react with CO₂ to form stable carbonates, effectively sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.

Particle Size: The diameter of individual rock particles, which influences the rate of weathering; smaller particles have a larger surface area, enhancing chemical reactions and carbon dioxide absorption in ERW.

Reactive Transport Modeling: A computational method simulating the transport and chemical reactions of solutes in porous media, crucial for predicting mineral behavior and effectiveness in enhanced rock weathering processes.

Rock Dust: Finely ground rock material applied to soils to enhance weathering processes, improve soil health, and sequester carbon by increasing the availability of reactive minerals for chemical reactions.

Rock Mineralization: A process where minerals in rocks react with CO₂ to form stable carbonates, effectively locking away carbon in solid form, contributing to long-term carbon sequestration.

Rock Pulverization: The mechanical grinding of rocks into fine particles, increasing their surface area and reactivity, which enhances the effectiveness of rock dust in carbon sequestration efforts.

Rock Weathering: Natural processes that break down rocks into smaller particles through physical, chemical, and biological means, releasing minerals and nutrients that can react with atmospheric CO₂.

Scaling Up: The process of increasing the size or scope of enhanced rock weathering projects to achieve larger impacts on carbon sequestration, often requiring infrastructure and logistical considerations.

Serpentine: A group of minerals that can be used in enhanced rock weathering; like olivine, serpentine reacts with CO₂, contributing to carbon sequestration through mineralization processes.

Silicate Minerals: A broad class of minerals containing silicon and oxygen, which can react with CO₂ during weathering, playing a significant role in carbon sequestration through enhanced rock weathering.

Soil Amendment: Materials added to soil to improve its physical or chemical properties; rock dust serves as an amendment that enhances soil fertility and promotes carbon drawdown through weathering.

Soil Health: The condition of soil in terms of its biological, chemical, and physical properties, which can be improved through ERW by enhancing nutrient availability and microbial activity.

Soil pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of soil, influencing nutrient availability and microbial activity, which can affect the effectiveness of enhanced rock weathering in sequestering carbon.

Soil Testing: The analysis of soil samples to determine their nutrient content, pH, and other characteristics, essential for assessing the suitability of soils for enhanced rock weathering applications.

Surface Area: The total area of exposed surfaces of a material; in enhanced rock weathering, larger surface areas of rock particles lead to increased weathering rates and enhanced reactivity with CO₂.

Trace Metal Release: The potential leaching of trace metals from rocks during weathering, which can have environmental implications if not managed properly, necessitating careful selection of minerals for enhanced rock weathering.

Transport Logistics: The planning and management of moving materials, such as rock dust, from extraction sites to application areas, crucial for the feasibility and success of enhanced rock weathering projects.

Weathering Rate: The speed at which rocks break down and react with CO₂; influenced by factors such as particle size, mineral type, and environmental conditions, affecting the overall effectiveness of carbon sequestration.

Wollastonite: A calcium silicate mineral used in enhanced rock weathering for its ability to sequester carbon through mineralization, contributing to the long-term storage of atmospheric CO₂.