Nature holds key to improved carbon capture
A team of academics have gone back to nature to figure out how to bring carbon capture and storage a step closer.
A team of academics have gone back to nature to figure out how to bring carbon capture and storage a step closer.
Investigating natural gas fields has provided an insight to how they could be used in the future for carbon capture and storage. Dr Stuart Gilfillan, the lead researcher from the University of Edinburgh, said: “We’ve turned the old technique of using computer models on its head and looked at natural carbon dioxide gas fields which have trapped carbon dioxide for a very long time. By combining two techniques, we’ve been able to identify exactly where the carbon dioxide is being stored for the first time. We already know that oil and gas have been stored safely in oil and gas fields over millions of years. Our study clearly shows that the carbon dioxide has been stored naturally and safely in underground water in these fields.”
The project director, Professor Chris Ballentine from the University of Manchester said: “This new approach will also be essential for monitoring and tracing where carbon dioxide captured from coal-fired power stations goes when we inject it underground. This is critical for future safety verification.”
By Leila Sattary
