Soil and geologic formations as antidotes for CO2 sequestration?

Abstract

Rapid and far-reaching transitions are required to combat climate change and its impacts. Carbon capture and storage within mineral deposits is a promising solution to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. In-situ geological storage and ex-situ mineral sequestration are practically sufficient for sequestering all the anthropogenic CO2. Recent research reports that more than 95% of injected CO2 was mineralized into carbonates in two years by using in-situ geological approach, and mining wastes and secondary minerals were recycled as resources for ex-situ CO2 sequestration. However, geological activity is the major risk of in-situ storage, while high energy consumption and associated cost may limit the application of ex-situ carbonation. Significant technical breakthroughs of mineral and geological CO2 sequestration are therefore of vital importance to realize a “net-zero CO2 emissions” and even “carbon-negative” society.