#SubsurfaceMineralization
Underground CO2 storage as a supercritical fluid is a popular method in the oil & gas industry for enhanced oil recovery. While the method is effective in recovering oil, it's known to leak significant amounts of CO2 back into the atmosphere.
🪨Is there a better way to store underground?🪨
Subsurface mineralization stores CO2 in solid form, generally as a carbonate mineral in either in-situ, ex-situ, or surficial operations. In-situ storage (underground) has the most potential with mafic or ultramafic rocks because they are highly reactive and contain the metals needed to permanently immobilize CO2. The theoretical storage capacity exceeds the total CO2 stemming from the burning of all fossil fuel-derived carbon on Earth!
😎 Innovator Callout⚡
Atmosfuture Inc combines its fanless, cryogenic-based REVFRACC system (REVerse FRActionation Carbon Capture), a Direct Air Capture (DAC) solution, with CO2 utilization. Once captured, CO2 is then mixed with calcium hydroxide to create chalk in an exothermic reaction. The resulting chalk suspension can be used to pump into depleted oil and gas wells.
Climeworks launched its largest project, Mammoth, in Hellisheiði, Iceland in 2022. It’s a DAC plant that will have an annual capture capacity of 36,000 tons of which Carbfix will be responsible for storing the CO2 underground in basaltic rocks. It’s expected to begin operations this year.
🛑What’s Holding the Industry Back From Scaling More Rapidly?🤔
Currently, there exists wide technical knowledge gaps that must be addressed at field scale. Fortunately, there have been a few projects that have successfully demonstrated subsurface mineralization, particularly by Carbfix.
Regulations will need to be relaxed once it’s understood that subsurface mineralization is more secure than those systems utilized by the oil and gas industry with supercritical (liquid) CO2. Likewise, education is needed to ensure the public that these systems will not harm local environments — the most significant concerns being human-induced tremors.
Despite these hurdles, the potential of subsurface mineralization to provide a safe and permanent solution for carbon storage warrants rapid deployment.
What do y'all think about subsurface mineralization?
LINK : https://lnkd.in/eksTaQq2
#cleantech #carbfix #climeworks #atmosfuture #directaircapture #DAC #mineralization Cleantech Group
Image credit: Atmosfuture
