Icelanders made emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the stone

One of the plants CarbFix

Icelandic CarbFix project has confirmed the effectiveness of utilization of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by injection into the volcanic rock for mineralization. An international team of experts has published the results of experiments in the journal Science.

CarbFix project was launched in 2012. Experienced complex utilization of carbon dioxide emitted by a nearby geothermal power plant Hedliskheydi, located about 25 kilometers from Reykjavik. Gas dissolved in the water is pumped into the well a two-kilometer depth less than eight deep wells are used for monitoring. Absorbing carbon dioxide layers of basalt and hyaloclastites located at 400 to 800 meters depth and covered with a layer of low permeability hyaloclastites.



In the first phase of the experiment From January to March 2012 , in the well pumped 175 tonnes of dissolved carbon dioxide in the second from June to August of the same year - 73 tonne a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which is also highlighted power plant. For monitoring convenience, the solution was added carbon dioxide containing radioactive carbon-14 labeled with radionuclides and volatile sulfur hexafluoride and triftormetilpentaftorid.

Observations showed that within two years, more than 95% carbon dioxide reacted with the surrounding formation and to form a mineralized carbonate rocks (mainly calcite), which eliminates the risk of it leaking into the atmosphere. According to project manager Aradottir Edda (Edda Aradóttir), such rates of recovery surprised the designers themselves.



Cost of recycling one ton is $ 30, which is cheaper traditional methods that require between $ 65 to $ 100 per ton.
According Aradottir, high water consumption - 25 tons per ton of carbon dioxide - not a problem, because for this purpose is suitable salty ocean water. She added that the basalt lava covered about 10 percent of the land, and almost all of the ocean floor, so carbon dioxide mineralization technology has great application prospects.

Global carbon emissions
As man-made - 9,795 Gt (Gt) of carbon (or 35.9 CO2 carbon dioxide Gt) per year (in 2014)
Natural cycle - 119 Gt uglerodawiki (or 439 Gt of CO2) // (decomposition of organic matter, volcanic activity, forest fires and so on.)

Regarding the natural C cycle and CO2, people do not make a significant contribution, but the problem is that the natural cycle balances itself within safe limits (oceans, dissolving CO2, transform it into H2CO3, plants use CO2 for photosynthesis, etc.). And that appeared in consequence of human activity, additional CO2, nowhere not disappear completely (60% -70% CO2 in the same place, in the atmosphere, and remains, that contributes to heating of the planet, and the remaining 30% -40% absorbed by the oceans and seas, causing of an overall reduction in pH)

Efficiency CarbFix
The project is currently mineralizes 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
In the summer of 2016 it is planned to install the new equipment, which will double the number (and then, for the attention of CO2 emissions caused by human deyyatelnostyu to zero, CarbFix would need 970.000 of such complexes, in the case if CarbFix was the only project reduces CO2 emissions by planet, but schatyu, there are a few other savvy companies, like the Tesla, and governments to promote the development of renewable energy sources).

Source: geektimes.ru/post/277120/