Carbfix
Industry | CNRS, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University |
---|---|
Headquarters | , |
Website | https://www.carbfix.com/ |
Carbfix is an Icelandic company that has developed an approach to capturing and
Approximately 200 tons of CO2 were injected into subsurface basalts in 2012. Research results published in 2016 showed that 95% of the injected CO2 was solidified into calcite within 2 years, using 25 tons of water per tonne of CO2.[1][2][3] Since this time this approach has been upscaled at Hellisheiði and ongoing research is implementing this approach at other sites across Europe.[citation needed]
Background
Carbfix was founded by the then Icelandic President, Dr
Method
CO2 is captured either by its dissolution in water from power plant exhaust, or directly from the atmosphere by air capture followed by its dissolution in water. The carbonated water is injected into the subsurface where it reacts with the Ca and Mg present in the rock.[6] Calcium and magnesium are present in rocks - but rarely as oxides where the reactions would be simply:
- CaO + CO2 → CaCO3
- MgO + CO2 → MgCO3
However silicate minerals of these elements are common in many rocks, such as basalt, so an example reaction might be:
- Mg2SiO4 + 2CO2 → 2MgCO3 + SiO2
as a result CO2 is locked away with no dangerous byproducts.
Practicalities
Drilling and injecting carbonated water at high pressure into basaltic rocks at Hellisheiði has been estimated to cost less than $25 a ton.[7]
This project commenced carbon injection in 2012.
These funding sources include the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No. 764760 and 764810. The European Commission through the projects CarbFix (EC coordinated action 283148), Min-GRO (MC-RTN-35488), Delta-Min (PITN-GA-2008-215360), and CO2-REACT (EC Project 317235). Nordic fund 11029-NORDICCS; the Icelandic GEORG Geothermal Research fund (09-02-001) to S.R.G. and Reykjavik Energy; and the U.S. Department of Energy under award number DE-FE0004847.
Cost is around US$25 per tonne of CO2.[11]
Challenges
This approach requires substantial water and the presence of reactive rocks, which are not available in all localities.
The nearby
There have been earthquakes reported due to the injection of waste water in the area.[13][14] Proceedings at the 2010 World Geothermal Congress reported that reinjection at Hellisheiði had induced seismic activity.[15]
Criticisms
In March 2023, Carbfix was criticised in the Icelandic media when Mannlíf, an electronic news publication, revealed that the partnership's head of communications had been an outspoken
Current status
Carbfix was updated, as part of the EC funded CarbFix2 project starting in June 2014 at the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant. CarbFix2 was designed to capture all of the hydrogen sulfide and most of the carbon dioxide generated from the power plant. As of 2018, 68% of the H2S and 34% of the CO2 is being captured as a dissolved phase in water and injected to a depth of 750 metres underground into basaltic rocks. Results show that the majority of these injected gases are fixed as stable mineral phases in less than one year. Further work has focused on the direct capture of CO2 from the atmosphere coupled to its subsurface mineralization.
Carbfix is currently run by a set of three scientific directors: Sigurður Reynir Gíslason of the University of Iceland, Eric H. Oelkers of the CNRS Toulouse, and Edda Sif Aradóttir of Reykjavik Energy. Current efforts are aimed at generalizing the Carbfix process in part through the use of seawater for CO2 capture and storage, so the method can be adopted worldwide.
The Carbfix approach is currently being adopted at four new sites in Europe through the EC funded GECO project.[citation needed]
On 20 July 2021 the Swiss and Icelandic governments have agreed to jointly develop “negative emission technologies” which involve extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it underground using Carbfix and Climeworks.[21]
References
- ^ PMID 27284192.
- ^ "Scientists turn carbon dioxide into stone to combat global warming". The Verge. Vox Media. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ Le Page, Michael (2016-06-09). "CO2 injected deep underground turns to rock – and stays there". New Scientist. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- .
- ^ "That CO2 warming the world: Lock it in a rock". Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ISSN 1811-5209.
- ^ .
- ^ a b "Iceland's Hellisheidi prepares to start injection at carbon storage project". 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ "Carbfix project – from gas to rock - GREBE Project". GREBE project, European Union. 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- .
- ^ "This startup has unlocked a novel way to capture carbon—by turning the dirty gas into rocks". Fortune. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- ^ "Water pumping causes tremor" (in Icelandic). 13 September 2011.
- ^ "Orkuveitan framkallar jarðskjálfta í Henglinum" (in Icelandic). 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Human made earthquakes in Hengill volcano". 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ "Geothermal Reinjection at the Hengill Triple Junction, SW Iceland" (PDF). Retrieved 27 September 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Samskiptastjóri Carbfix: "Umhverfismál eru ofmetinn málaflokkur – Yfirborð sjávar er ekki að hækka"". Mannlíf (in Icelandic). 26 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Samskiptastjóri Carbfix var efasemdamaður í loftslagsmálum". Vísir (in Icelandic). 28 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Ólafur svarar gagnrýni um fyrri efasemdir". mbl.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Sæll Ólafur Teitur: Ná sinnaskipti þín líka til annarra málaflokka?". Mannlíf (in Icelandic). 28 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Our story | Carbfix". www.carbfix.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ "Switzerland and Iceland join forces to 'capture' CO2". swissinfo.ch. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02.
External links
- Carbfix.com – Website of the project
- Brabant, Malcolm (August 23, 2016). "To combat climate change, these scientists are turning CO2 into rock". PBS NewsHour. WETA-TV. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- To combat climate change, these scientists are turning CO2 into rock on YouTube, Aug 23, 2016 PBS NewsHour