Abstract
Continued global use of fossil fuels places a premium on developing technology solutions to minimize increases in atmospheric CO2 levels. CO2 storage in reactive basalts might be one of these solutions by permanently converting injected gaseous CO2 into solid carbonates. Herein, we report results from a field demonstration in which ~1000 metric tons of CO2 was injected into a natural basalt formation in eastern Washington state. Following post-injection monitoring for 2 years, cores were obtained from within the injection zone and subjected to detailed physical and chemical analysis. Nodules found in vesicles throughout the cores were identified as the carbonate mineral, ankerite Ca[Fe,Mg,Mn](CO3)2. Carbon isotope analysis showed the nodules are chemically distinct compared with natural carbonates present in the basalt and in clear correlation with the isotopic signature of the injected CO2. These findings provide field validation of rapid mineralization rates observed from years of laboratory testing with basalts.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 6-10 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Environmental Science and Technology Letters |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 10 2017 |
Funding
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fossil Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (Morgantown, WV), the Big Sky Regional Carbon Partnership, the U.S. Department of Energy Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program, Boise, Inc., Shell Exploration & Production Co., Portland General Electric, and Schlumberger, Inc. Several of the analyses were performed at EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for DOE by Battelle under Contract DEAC05-76RL01830.