The geology and hydrology of the CarbFix2 site, SW-Iceland

Atmospheric CO 2 can be sequestered by injecting it into basaltic rocks, providing a potentially valuable way to undo some of the damage done by fossil fuel burning. Matter et al. injected CO 2 into wells in Iceland that pass through basaltic lavas and hyaloclastites at depths between 400 and 800 m. Most of the injected CO 2 was mineralized in less than 2 years. Carbonate minerals are stable, so this approach should avoid the risk of carbon leakage. Science , this issue p. [Related article:] 1312 Basaltic rocks may be effective sinks for storing carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides a solution toward decarbonization of the global economy. The success of this solution depends on the ability to safely and permanently store CO 2 . This study demonstrates for the first time the permanent disposal of CO 2 as environmentally benign carbonate minerals in basaltic rocks. We find that over 95% of the CO 2 injected into the CarbFix site in Iceland was mineralized to carbonate minerals in less than 2 years. This result contrasts with the common view that the immobilization of CO 2 as carbonate minerals within geologic reservoirs takes several hundreds to thousands of years. Our results, therefore, demonstrate that the safe long-term storage of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions through mineralization can be far faster than previously postulated.