Rapid carbon mineralization for permanent disposal of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides a solution toward decarbonization of the global economy. The success of this solution depends on the ability to safely and permanently store CO2 This study demonstrates for the first time the permanent disposal of CO2 as environmentally benign carbonate minerals in basaltic rocks. We find that over 95% of the CO2 injected into the CarbFix site in Iceland was mineralized to carbonate minerals in less than 2 years. This result contrasts with the common view that the immobilization of CO2 as carbonate minerals within geologic reservoirs takes several hundreds to thousands of years. Our results, therefore, demonstrate that the safe long-term storage of anthropogenic CO2 emissions through mineralization can be far faster than previously postulated.
Department of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA.
Juerg M
JM
Matter
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA.
Martin
M
Stute
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Sandra Ó
SÓ
Snæbjörnsdottir
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland. CNRS/UMR 5563, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. Department of Earth Science, University College London, UK.
Eric H
EH
Oelkers
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Sigurdur R
SR
Gislason
Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Edda S
ES
Aradottir
Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland GeoSurvey, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Bergur
B
Sigfusson
Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Ingvi
I
Gunnarsson
Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Holmfridur
H
Sigurdardottir
Reykjavik Energy, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Einar
E
Gunnlaugsson
Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia.
Gudni
G
Axelsson
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Helgi A
HA
Alfredsson
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland. Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Domenik
D
Wolff-Boenisch
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Kiflom
K
Mesfin
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA.
Diana
D
Fernandez de la Reguera Taya
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA.
Jennifer
J
Hall
Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Knud
K
Dideriksen
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA.
Wallace S
WS
Broecker