CO2 mineralization in geologically common rocks for carbon storage

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/kui-cmi030819.php

Public Release: 8-Mar-2019
CO2 mineralization in geologically common rocks for carbon storage

Kyushu University-led researchers run computer simulations of CO2 reacting with rock surfaces to form carbonate minerals, showing how 'mineral trapping' can be used for carbon storage

Kyushu University, I2CNER

Fukuoka, Japan -- Humanity needs to improve when it comes to reducing carbon emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change. If the world is to meet the IPCC's minimum target of keeping global temperature increases below 1.5 °C, every possible avenue for CO2 remediation must be explored.

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"Mineralization is the most stable method of long-term CO2 storage, locking CO2 into a completely secure form that can't be re-emitted," explains Jihui Jia of the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), Kyushu University, first author of the study. "This was once thought to take thousands of years, but that view is rapidly changing. The chemical reactions are not fully understood because they're so hard to reproduce in the lab. This is where modeling comes in."

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Together, the simulations show that both steps of CO2 mineralization--carbonation (binding to rock) and hydrolysis (reacting with water)--are favorable. Moreover, free carbonate ions can be made by hydrolysis, not just by dissociation of carbonic acid as was once assumed. These insights relied on a sophisticated form of molecular dynamics that models not just the physical collisions between atoms, but electron transfer, the essence of chemistry.

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Evidence is growing that captured CO2 can mineralize much faster than previously believed. While this is exciting, the Kyushu paper underlines how complex and delicate the chemistry can be. For now, the group recommends further studies on other abundant rocks, like basalt, to map out the role that geochemical trapping can play in the greatest technical challenge facing civilization.

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https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b12089

[bigbrother05]

1. The oil industry hopes no one remembers the CO2 flooding in West Texas

A common practice to extract and compress the gas from zones in Eastern New Mexico to inject into depleted wells to strip the residual oil from the pay zones and force it to a central collector well. There was some efforts to capture the gas and reuse, but not particularly well done.

With all the new production maybe they don't do this now, but it was common in the 70's/80's. Quite an interesting process and could be visually impressive as well.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. That procedure is still used.

This procedure is different, with a different goal.

[bigbrother05]

3. Knew it was different, just pointing to a practice that is often overlooked

If the CO2 can be sequestered, that's great.

Folks in the extraction business will do anything to make an extra nickel regardless of the environmental harm.