Containing Carbon Dioxide

Injecting CO2, the most troublesome greenhouse gas, into porous rock formations beneath the earth might be the best short-term option for slowing global warming. Los Alamos scientists are developing a comprehensive risk assessment program to ensure safe and effective CO2 containment. This program includes a unique computer model, named "CO2-PENS," to guide the choice and development of the best sites; laboratory experiments to understand the geochemistry of sequestration systems; and field studies to quantify natural CO2 flux in the ecosystem. Los Alamos has advanced its geologic sequestration research by partnering with the Enhanced Oil Recovery Industry, which has injected CO2 underground for 30 years.

The average American family of four puts about three tons of garbage per year by the curb, but because we burn fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation, that same family is annually responsible for dumping about 80 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere-CO2 that contributes to global climate change.

Some believe we should just stop using fossil fuels, but that won't happen in the near future unless we're willing to cripple our economy and keep the developing world in poverty. Eighty-six percent of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels, and projections show energy demand and fossil fuel use rising dramatically. China, India, and the United States are planning to add 850 new coal-fired power plants to the 2,100 worldwide that currently chug out one-third of the world's human-generated CO2 emissions.

We need a way to cut those emissions and slow climate change now without precipitously abandoning the abundant and affordable coal resources that fuel the majority of power plants. The solution may lie in how we handle garbage. We bury it. Burying CO2 might be the best short-term option for slowing climate change.

It's called geologic sequestration. Instead of releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, we would capture it at its industrial sources, turn it into a fluid, and inject it into deep geological formations. (See "The Basics of Geologic Storage") There is a neat symmetry to that. Carbon we've released from deep underground in the form of oil, gas, and coal can be returned to subterranean storage.


Posted by: Nora    Source