Carbon mineralization is a key process of carbon cycling in ecosystems, during which large organic polymers are decomposed into monomers, and ultimately
### **1) What is Carbon Mineralization?**. Carbon mineralization is a process that naturally occurs over hundreds or thousands of years in which certain minerals inside rocks react with atmospheric CO2 to create carbonates, solid minerals that securely remove and sequester CO2. Alkaline minerals within the rock powder react with ambient CO2, trapping it in solid carbonates. A key concern with scaling up carbon mineralization above ground is the need to increase mining to access large amounts of alkaline material, as well as grinding and transport — all of which require energy. Carbon removed through surficial mineralization, for example, is challenging to account for and monitor because oceans, coasts and soils, where mine tailings and crushed rocks are spread, are open systems (as compared to a closed-system DAC plant). Carbon mineralization presents significant potential as a carbon removal approach, within a larger suite of carbon removal and climate actions, to help reach global climate goals.
Ex situ carbon mineralization can serve as a thermodynamically downhill strategy to capture and remove CO2 from energy and resource conversion
Ex situ carbon mineralization can serve as a thermodynamically downhill strategy to capture and remove CO2 from energy and resource conversion
Carbon mineralization is a process in which carbon dioxide (CO2) becomes bound in rocks as a solid mineral. This happens naturally at a slow
Mineralization transforms atmospheric carbon dioxide into stable, solid carbonate minerals, offering a permanent form of carbon storage. The
In addition to green measures like upscaling renewables and improving energy efficiency, there is broad scientific consensus that large-scale carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) remains critical to limiting global temperature rise below 2°C. CCS involves capturing CO2 (from a point source or directly from the air); compressing and transporting it via a pipeline; and storing it deep underground, or utilizing it as a feedstock or agent in another industrial process. An illustration shows a cross section of the earth with injection wells deep underground where CO2 can either be trapped under overlying cap rock or mineralize. Carbon dioxide (CO2) injected into wells into porous rock layers thousands of feet below ground becomes trapped or mineralizes. Mineralization is the most secure form of carbon sequestration, as injected CO2 is naturally converted into a solid phase, preventing unwanted migration out of the storage complex. Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment, Growing Impact: Underground carbon storage with a rock background. Growing Impact: Underground carbon storage.
In-situ mineralization occurs with Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technologies like Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture & Storage (BECCS) when injecting carbon into geological formations. BECCS technology then captures the carbon dioxide from these industrial processes and sequesters it permanently using geologic storage. #### It is through geologic storage that carbon will mineralize. Geologic storage works because carbon dioxide is injected into locations that are already equipped to store it. ###### Image: Geologic storage of carbon dioxide. After carbon dioxide dissolves in brine water, it can react with the mineral of the rock. Without CCS technologies, the natural mineralization process sequesters an estimated .7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Currently, the most common sequestration arrangement for BECCS facilities in Europe and the Nordics is through partnerships with storage operators sequestering carbon in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. At these sites, carbon dioxide is trapped thousands of meters below the seafloor.