Method for permanent disposal of CO{sub 2} in solid form

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:577339

Butt, D P; Lackner, K S; Wendt, C H ^[1]; Nomura, Koji ^[2]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
2. Chichibu Onoda Cement Co., Tokyo (Japan)

If society could develop ways to safely and economically dispose of CO{sub 2} in thermodynamically stable forms, we could eliminate the potential danger of climatic changes due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning of fossil fuels. Toward this end, we have recently outlined and developed a methodology for binding carbon dioxide in solid forms that are thermodynamically stable at the earth`s surface. The carbonation of Mg(OH){sub 2} is of particular interest because of the abundance of magnesium on earth and the relative ease with which it can be extracted from Mg-bearing minerals. The major focus of our research has been on developing ways to extract Mg(OH){sub 2} powder from common ultramafic rock, such as serpentinite and peridotite, and then rapidly and efficiently carbonating the powder to MgCO{sub 3}. The quantities of accessible deposits of these minerals vastly exceed the quantities of available fossil fuel in the world. Because this active approach would result in a waste that is thermodynamically stable, it would be possible to permanently dispose of great quantities of CO{sub 2} with minimal environmental impact and without the danger of a sudden accidental release of gaseous CO{sub 2} which has proven fatal even in comparatively small releases of gas.

• OSTI ID: 577339
• Report Number(s): CONF-970522--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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