Eco Factor: Latest carbon capture technique would allow scientists to slow down global warming.
Research conducted by an international team of scientists, led by the University of Manchester, has shown that underground water has been able to capture and safely store carbon dioxide for millions of years. These new finding have put an end to the confusion as to how exactly carbon dioxide could be captured underground without posing any threat to the ecosystem.
Carbon dioxide can be tapped underground in two ways – either it can dissolve in underground water or it can react with minerals found in rocks to form new carbonate compounds. To find out exactly what happens when carbon dioxide is tapped underground, these researchers analyzed the ratios of stable isotopes of carbon dioxide and noble gases like helium in nine gas fields in North America, China and Europe.
Since these fields were naturally filled with carbon dioxide millions of years ago, the data gathered would be promising. The results of these findings proved that underground water, found in these fields, was able to capture the major chunk of CO2 and a very small proportion reacted with minerals to form carbonate compounds. The findings could now allow researchers to figure out ways they could tap atmospheric CO2 in vacant lying oil fields.
The Dark Side:
These new findings could slow down the process of global warming and climate change, but it is not an ultimate answer to all environmental problems.
Via: ScienceDaily
