Recent Critiques of Carbon Sequestration

Congress May Insure Against Coal-Induced Flatulence

According to a recent "Inside EPA Weekly" report “Members of Congress, theEnergy Department (DOE) and industry are debating ways of shielding participants in DOE's FutureGen power plant project from potential liabilities for storing the resulting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions underground, as part of an effort to build a landmark near-zero emissions power facility”…”the discussion highlights one of the significant unresolved issues facing FutureGen and subsequent facilities that inject large quantities of CO2 into the ground as a way to minimize global warming”. We can imagine a scenario around this. Half-way through the operating life of a “FutureGen” plant, Terra wafts a robust leak, letting go years worth of “sequestered” CO2 in a short period. Stand back stratosphere, here it comes!

Carbon Sequestration: An Idea Whose Time Has Gone?

Ooops. Turns out that burying CO2 from power plants may not be such a good idea after all. Apparently the stuff turns into a nasty chemical mix that erodes the ability of sandstone to keep the stuff underground!

Carbon Sequestration, Speed Bump or Wall?

Richard A. Kerr writes in Science: "Scientists testing the deep geologic disposal of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide are finding that it's staying where they put it, but it's chewing up minerals. The reactions have produced a nasty mix of metals and organic substances in a layer of sandstone 1550 meters down, researchers report this week in Geology. At the same time, the CO2 is dissolving a surprising amount of the mineral that helps keep the gas where it's put." It's not leaking so far, but it will require a second look before carbon sequestration can be used on a large scale.

Technorati: Carbon Sequestration, Global Warming, Coal, Acidification, Carbon Dioxide