Lock CO2 into the stone

Next month, a team of international scientists will inject a mixture of solution into a deep hole in a volcano in Iceland in an effort to permanently lock down CO ₂ underground.

>>>Solution to bury safe CO2

Using CO2 treatment chemicals, the main source of greenhouse gases, is a measure like the 21st century alchemy that experts and government expect to help reduce or even prevent get climate change.AP reported that US and Icelandic engineers will conduct a test called CarbFix , based on the fact that up to 90% of Iceland's foundation is basalt. This is a highly reactive material, working by combining its calcium with a CO2 solution to form harmless limestone and permanently exist.

Researchers are also cautious when predicting their upcoming trial from 6 to 12 months may not be as expected, and warned that it is difficult to come up with a perfect CarbFix solution of these. next year. And one of the important purposes of this experiment is to train young scientists so they can cope with difficulties in the future. However, Wallace S.Broecker of Columbia University, who thought of the word ' global warming' about four decades ago, insisted that no matter what he did, people still had to find a way to solve CO. ₂ in the next 50 years.

C arbFix can be a gold solution for current emissions - (Photo: Newstribune)

The world is now embarking on storing some CO ₂ , as Norway is pumping this gas, a byproduct of gas production, into the sandstone tank below the North Sea. But this is an imperfect solution, and many people worry that there will be a day when this huge gas tank can escape, threatening life on earth. But if turned into stone, CO ₂ cannot run anywhere. That's why the experiment will be conducted in the area about 29km southeast of the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, where the last eruption happened 2,000 years ago. Currently, Reykjavik Electric Company is operating a giant thermal power plant, with 30 wells exploited here.

Initially, the team of experts will seek to separate two existing gases from the underground, including CO2 and H ₂ S. After that, CO ₂ will be directed to a well 3,000m away to mix with water. pumped from other places. The mixture will be pumped back into the well, and with pressure at a depth of 500m, the conversion process will be activated to form carbonic acid. Under the action of this acid, the basalt rock layer will be corroded, reacting with calcium of the stone to calcium carbonate, also known as limestone. In fact, the CarbFix process is intended to accelerate the natural process called weathering , when carbonic acid in rainwater converts minerals in rocks over the years.

It is expected that about 2,000 tons of CO ₂ will be tested in the period of 6-12 months and then experts will monitor the results of this chain reaction. It will take several years to know the results, before this process can be applied on a large scale.