Carbon sequestration is a promising technique to combat climate change and reduce the environmental impact of industrial processes. Yet, current strategies for sequestration are energy intensive and slow; requiring excavation, processing, and transport of minerals, making them economically unattractive. This technology addresses such issues by allowing direct, in situ, mineral carbonization of exposed peridotite, an abundant rock in the earth's surface. Efficient carbonization of peridotite can be achieved by injecting carbon-rich fluids directly into the rock bed at moderate temperatures, making this technology less costly by eliminating the need for extreme temperatures and extensive material transport. Adequate investment in this technology can create a cheap and efficient method to sequester carbon from industrial processes.
This technology achieves the difficult task of efficient, low cost mineral carbonization by taking advantage of the heat and pressure achievable naturally in rock formations. Using hydraulic fracturing techniques, carbon-rich fluids heated to a moderate temperature are injected directly into the rock bed where the naturally heat-generating carbonation reaction maintains the necessary temperature for reaction without external heat input. The natural heat and pressure generated by direct injection into the peridotite rock improve the rate of carbonization several orders of magnitude over conventional ex situ carbonization. This technology is able to significantly reduce the cost of carbon sequestration by limiting the amount of drilling, pre-processing, transport, and external heating needed. Additionally, by capitalizing on developed technologies like hydraulic fracturing, this process is easily implemented and highly scalable, potentially allowing the sequestration of billions of tons of carbon each year at minimal cost.
Tech Ventures Reference: IR M07-015
