Solution for burial of CO2 safely

Burying deep CO2 under the ground is a good solution to the already serious climate change situation, but it is not easy to keep non- effervescent gases on the ground.

According to News Scientist , injecting nanoparticles into underground storage tanks before these tanks are filled with CO2 can prompt self-healing of any leaks .

When CO ₂ rises rapidly through cracks in the bedrock, this high pressure gas behaves like a liquid and turns into droplets. Steven Bryant, an engineer at the University of Texas in Austin (USA), said silica nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol will bind to these droplets to form a viscous foam. They will seal leaks like an inner coating of a self-healing tire.

In tests, Steven used n-octane, a liquid that acts as a supercritical CO2, to prove viscous foams formed and sealed cracks in the rock.

The research results were presented at a forum organized by the Energy Research Center of the US Department of Energy recently in Washington. Bryant's team is currently planning to conduct trials using supercritical CO2.