Magic Appears Between Basalt And Co2

Essentially, a series of chemical reactions combines carbon dioxide with calcium in the basalt to form calcium carbonate, or limestone

.

Dennis Kent, a professor of geological sciences at Rutgers University, and one of three co-authors of the study, says that transformation from gas to solid could make basalt formations "the ultimate repository" for excess carbon.

Although the report notes that some basalt formations on land might suffice as storage sites, the deeper formations under sea beds could be particularly attractive when it comes to preventing CO2 from escaping, according to study co-author David Goldberg, a geophysicist at Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

Hundreds or even thousands of feet of sediment can lie atop undersea basalt formations. In addition to a thick cap of solid basalt that would lie above any suitable deeper injection site, those thick blankets of sediment could serve as an additional impermeable cap during the years the CO2 was becoming mineral. (Research has yet to fully detail just how long it would take for a volume of CO2 to transform into rock.)

The new study points to an array of expansive east coast basalt formations, including four undersea of more than 380 square miles each off New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts, as well as large formations on land and under the seas in and around Georgia and South Carolina.

Globally, potential for carbon storage in formations of basalt and other "ultramafic" rocks (those with minerals that react with carbon dioxide to form more minerals) could be enormous. Goldberg and Columbia scientist Angela Slagle have estimated that basalt formations under oceans worldwide alone have the potential to store tens of trillions of tons of CO2.

According to the analysis, a single formation buried under the coastline near Sandy Hook, N.J., just south of the city of New York, could store 900 million tons of CO2, or 40 years of emissions from three to four large coal-burning power plants, although the report also notes that a great deal of research, including drilling to map and characterize formations, still lies ahead.

Elsewhere in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East, research on whether basalt and similar formations can indeed offer a safer pathway to carbon storage is accelerating.

With its high quality products such as Sand washing machine, Cone crusher, Jaw breaker, Vibrating screen, Rotary kiln, Henan Hongxing mining machinery Co.Ltd has ascended in the front rank of the world in the exporting of mining equipments.

by: nicole

POST COMMENT

Paint Calculation And Its Prices Breast Cancer Treatment And Surgery In India At Budget Saving Package Initial Phase Warning Signs And Treatments For Influenza 5 Simple And Fast Money Making Ideas For The Elderly Uses And Benefits Of Anti-bacterial Paint 5 Fast And Easy Ways To Leverage Your Time And Talent Series: Part 3 Of 4 Customs, Plant Life, Esrog And The Planet Medical Assistants And Medical Assistant Training Schools The Change In Popularity Of Providing Content Via Video On Weblogs And Mobile Phones Pregnant And Allergies - Definitely No Fun The Science And Psychology Of Loneliness Get Moving And Get Over Your Loneliness Happiness And Loneliness- A Delicate Mix