UCI, National Laboratory Scientists Probe Carbon Sequestration at the Molecular Level
Ultrathin films of water on metal-rich rocks convert CO2 into solid minerals
In addition to recommending a drastic curtailment and, ultimately, the end of fossil fuel consumption for energy, transportation, and industry, some scientists and engineers have advocated vacuuming carbon dioxide out of the air and storing it underground to combat climate change.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have conducted a detailed examination of the chemical processes involved in converting CO2 gas into a solid that could be buried beneath Earth’s surface, where it would remain indefinitely instead of leaking back out into the atmosphere. In a paper published recently in Nature Reviews Chemistry, the UCI and PNNL scientists describe the transformation that takes place when CO2 meets ultrathin films of water on underground rocks containing various types of metals.