Development of coupled direct-air capture and accelerated carbon mineralization technology towards net-zero emissions in Atlantic Canada

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Simulations based on business-as-usual CO2 emissions over the rest of the century predict that average surface temperatures will warm by 2 degrees or more. This level of warming will yield changes to Earth's hydrologic, ecologic, and climate systems that are unprecedented in human history, leading to massive declines in the quality of life for many of its human inhabitants. The worst of these impacts may be avoided if immediate, ambitious, and transboundary actions are taken to reduce emissions and CO2 atmospheric concentrations. As such, the Canadian government, in alliance with others worldwide, has committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions. One particularly promising technology for achieving this goal combines direct air capture with accelerated basalt carbonation-reaction of CO2 with basalt to produce carbonate minerals, like calcite. Over the past several decades, Canada has leveraged its oil and gas knowledge to become a world leader in geological carbon storage in depleted oil and gas fields and/or sedimentary aquifers. Yet, these geological formations require centuries to achieve the level of permanent, irreversible storage that carbonation can provide. Thus, to simultaneously garner social acceptance and achieve negative emissions, we must begin to embrace the possibility of injecting CO2 into Canada's vast basaltic reservoirs. In the proposed project, we will evaluate the potential for coupling a unique, Canadian-grown direct air capture technology with basalt carbonation in the North Mountain Basalt of the Fundy basin, located in southwestern Nova Scotia. We will conduct laboratory experiments under relevant environmental and geologic conditions to inform CO2-basalt reaction models, which, in tandem with operational specifications determined by industry partners, will enable technoeconomic assessments of the proposed technology. The deliverables of this project will serve as an evaluation of the potential of the coupled direct air capture and basalt carbonation process for not only Canada but the entire world. In so doing, this project will position the partnering Canadian researchers and companies and uniquely trained students at the forefront of the global implementation of this promising climate change solution.