Mineral created in lab that can remove CO2 pollution from atmosphere

Mineral created in lab that can remove CO2 pollution from atmosphere Scientists have found a way to produce a mineral, known as magnesite, i...

Mineral created in lab that can remove CO2 pollution from atmosphere

Scientists have found a way to produce a mineral, known as magnesite, in a lab that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, offering a potential strategy for tackling climate change.

By reducing a process that normally takes thousands of years to a matter of days, the research could boost the burgeoning field of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

As the world struggles to cut spiralling greenhouse gas emissions, expert s broadly agree that technologies that suck CO2 from the air will be an essential tool to curtail global warming.

Magnesite is a naturally occurring rock used in jewellery and for various industrial processes, and its carbon-storing capacity was already known to scientists.

Every ton of magnesite is capable of removing around half a ton of CO2 from the atmosphere.

However, while previous studies have explored the potential of storing polluting gases in underground rock formations, the potential of these activities is hampered by the time it takes for new minerals to form.

“This is a process which takes hundreds to thousands of years in nature at Earth’s surface,” explained Professor Ian Power, who led the new research at Trent University.

To overcome this issue, Professor Power and his team identified the processes that form magnesite naturally at low temperatures, and then used this knowledge to dramatically accelerate its crystallisation.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change

10 show all 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change

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A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near Mc Murdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris

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Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid

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Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella

4/10

Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali

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Smoke â€" filled with the carbon that is driving climate change â€" drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon

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A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain

7/10

Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo

8/10

A shepherd moves his herd as he look s for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati

9/10

A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa

10/10

Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by dro ught, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

1/10

A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris

2/10

Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid

3/10 Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella

4/10

Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali

5/10

Smoke â€" filled with the carbon that is driving climate change â€" drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon

6/10

A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain

7/10

Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo

8/10

A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati

9/10

A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa

10/10

Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Using polystyrene microspheres as a catalyst to speed up the reactions that form this rock, they reduced its creation time to 72 days.

The whole process takes place at room temperature, making it extremely energy effici ent.

“For now, we recognise that this is an experimental process, and will need to be scaled up before we can be sure that magnesite can be used in carbon sequestration (taking CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it as magnesite),” said Professor Power.

“This depends on several variables, including the price of carbon and the refinement of the sequestration technology, but we now know that the science makes it doable”.

These results were presented by the scientists at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Boston.

CCS technologies feature prominently in many plans to reach the targets set by the international Paris climate agreement and avert catastrophic climate change.

However, some prominent scientists have described the expectations placed on them as “serio usly over-optimistic” considering the lack of industry-ready procedures.

Despite these misgivings, there is general acceptance that such technologies must be developed hand-in-hand with carbon emissions cuts, and scientists have broadly welcomed the breakthrough in carbon storage presented by Professor Power and his team.

“It is really exciting that this group has worked out the mechanism of natural magnesite crystallisation at low temperatures, as has been previously observed â€" but not explained â€" in weathering of ultramafic [magnesium-rich and low silica] rocks,” said Professor Peter Kelemen, a carbon capture expert at Columbia University who was not involved in the study.

“The potential for accelerating the process is also important, potentially offering a benign and relatively inexpensive route to carbon storage, and perhaps even direct CO2 removal from air.”

Dr Gareth Johnson, another expert from the University of Edinburgh who did not contribute to the new research, agreed this was a “big step for ward”.

“Carbon storage by mineral precipitation has been investigated over the last decades, but, as with carbon capture at power plants or industrial sources and the associated geological storage in sedimentary basins, has often come up against an energy and financial barrier,” he said.

“Though clearly at an early stage the research demonstrating a less energy intensive and lower cost route to magnesite precipitation is very welcome.”

Source: Google News US Science | Netizen 24 United States< /a>