Icelandic Researchers Will Try to Stop Global Warming With…‘Seltzer Water’
- Posted on August 29, 2011 at 9:58am by
Liz Klimas
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(The Blaze/AP) — To athletes, CarbFix could mean time to load up on carbohydrates. For researchers in Iceland, CarbFix could be a solution to curbing carbon dioxide emissions — one of the greenhouse gases most blamed for global warming.
Sometime next month, an international team of scientists will begin pumping “seltzer water” into a deep hole on the steaming fringes of an Icelandic volcano, producing a brew that they hope will lock away CO2 forever.
The American and Icelandic designers of the “CarbFix” experiment will be capitalizing on a feature of the basalt rock underpinning 90 percent of Iceland: It is a highly reactive material that will combine its calcium with a carbon dioxide solution to form limestone — permanent, harmless limestone.
Researchers acknowledge that CarbFix could fall short of their expectations and still has years of development ahead. For this reason, one of the objectives of the project, whose main sponsors are Reykjavik’s city-owned utility and U.S. and Icelandic universities, is to train young scientists for years of work to come.
CarbFix overseer — the man who also coined the term “global warming” four decades ago — says the world’s failure to heed those early warnings, to rein in greenhouse-gas emissions from coal, gasoline and other fossil fuels, is driving scientists to drastic approaches, such as carbon fixing.
“Whether we do it in the next 50 years, or the 50 years after that, we’re going to have to store carbon dioxide,” Columbia University’s Wallace S. Broecker said in an interview in New York.
Watch scientists explain how CarbFix works:
Some countries are already storing carbon dioxide. Norway is pumping the CO2 produced from natural gas production into a sandstone reservoir beneath the North Sea. This CO2 is not being transformed into stone, worrying some that it could eventually escape.
The experimental transformation will take place below the dramatic landscape of this place 29 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. On an undulating, mossy moor and surrounding volcanic hills, where the last eruption occurred 2,000 years ago, Reykjavik Energy operates a huge, 5-year-old geothermal power plant, drawing on 30 wells tapping into the superheated steam below, steam laden with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
CarbFix will first separate out those two gases, and the CO2 will be piped 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the injection well, to combine with water pumped from elsewhere.
That carbonated water — seltzer — will be injected down the well, where the pressure of the pumped water, by a depth of 500 meters (1,600 feet), will completely dissolve the CO2 bubbles, forming carbonic acid.
“The acid’s very corrosive, so it starts to attack the rocks,” explained University of Iceland geologist Sigurdur Reynir Gislason, CarbFix’s chief scientist.
The basalt rock — ancient lava flows — is porous, up to 30 percent open space filled with water. The carbonic acid will be pushed out into those pores, and over time will react with the basalt’s calcium to form calcium carbonate, or limestone.
CarbFix’s designers, in effect, are radically speeding up the natural process called weathering, in which weak carbonic acid in rainwater transforms rock minerals over geologic time scales.
The CarbFix team, beginning work in 2007, had to overcome engineering challenges, particularly in the inventive design and operation of the gas separation plant. They have applied for U.S. and Icelandic patents for that and for the injection well technique.
They plan to inject up to 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide over 6 to 12 months and then follow how far the solution is spreading via tracer elements and monitoring wells. Eventually they plan to drill into the rock to take a core sampling.
“It will take months and years to test how well it has spread,” Reykjavik Energy’s Bergur Sigfusson, project technical manager, said as he guided two AP journalists through the step-by-step process over the rolling green terrain of the Hengill volcano.
The team’s greatest concern is that carbon “mineralization” may happen too quickly.
“If it reacts too fast, then that will clog up the system,” Sigfusson said. Quick formation of calcium carbonate would block too many paths through the basalt for the solution to spread.
If it works on a large scale, scientists say, carbon mineralization has a limitless potential, since huge basalt deposits are common — in Siberia, India, Brazil and elsewhere. One formation lies beneath the U.S. northwest, where the U.S. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory plans an experiment similar to CarbFix.
The long-term challenge then becomes capturing the carbon dioxide, and building the infrastructure to deliver it to the right places.
At a basic level, the CarbFix process might at least allow geothermal plants worldwide to neutralize their carbon emissions. At another level, “you’d line up the coal-fired power plants where the basalt is,” said Gislason. Their CO2 then could be locked away permanently as rock, rather than stored in underground cavities as now generally conceived.
But ultimately “my vision for carbon capture and storage is offshore, below the sea. The whole ocean floor is basalt below the sediments,” said Swiss geochemist and CarbFix manager Juerg Matter, who works with Broecker at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
That futuristic vision would likely require technology to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere itself — perhaps via millions of chemically treated vanes standing in the wind, a technique being investigated. Such units could be located offshore, with the captured CO2 piped to basalt below, Matter said.
In Gislason’s Reykjavik university laboratories, young scientists are already conducting experiments with seawater and basalt, “and they’re very promising,” the chief scientist said.
“In 10, 20, 30 years’ time, if climate change gets very drastic, then we are going to need solutions like this,” he said of CarbFix. “We are going to need solutions ‘yesterday.’”
Reykjavik Energy has supplied almost half the $10 million spent thus far on CarbFix. Other funding comes from the two universities, France’s National Center of Scientific Research, the U.S. Energy Department, the European Union and Scandinavian sources.
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Comments (124)
pecosval
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:48amsounds like a stupid green job….could employ as much as 2 or 3 people. Europeans are so gullible
Report Post »liberalsarealiens
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:43amIf Ol‘ Hot Air Gore would shut his mouth Iceland wouldn’t have to pump anything into the ground! The Carbfix overseer is the same guy who coined ‘global warming’ …. 40 years ago … No Kidding! LMAO
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 11:36amGod bless these people. If they mess with nature who knows what will happen. They scare me! Gore sickens me. The teachers teaching global warming to young kids angers me, etc. etc.
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:02pmTHOUGH MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING IS FALSE… REMEMBER CLIMATE-GATE (http://www.americanparchment.com/library/climate_scandals.html)
This has been tried in other countries including ours, in multiple areas of the US we pump our CO2/Emissions back into the ground, usually in old oil wells and such, and though the science is mixed it has proven to get rid of some of the pollution which is great.
Report Post »chazman
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:20pm… Iceland … what a pack of ultra maroons. I guess that makes me a racist.
Report Post »bboatmanable
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 1:18pmYes, this makes sense. How did the conversation go do you think? Scientist 1: “Gee wiz fellas, how do we stop this terrible global warming…..oh wait, “climate change” that we’re trying to pin on all man kinds accomplishments?” Scientist 2: “I KNOW!!! Let’s completely alter the bed rock of an entire geographical area! I‘m sure that won’t have any adverse effects on the Earth.”
WHAT BONEHEADS!!!!
Report Post »anOpinion
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:27pm@NHWINTER
You can’t have it both ways, if you don’t believe in man-made global warming then experiments like the CarbFix project won’t affect the climate either.
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 4:13pmTransforming basalt into limestone seems to me to be a business that compromises the future stability
Report Post »of the natural processes.
Sure they can do it but should they ? Have they assessed the impact of basalt weakening ?
Basalts specific gravity is 3011 while sandstone s is 2323. Weakening of the mantle is never a good idea. Even when it‘s so far down we’ll never see it. Or know the true transformations taking place
in the surrounding rock.
avenger
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 4:48pmTry 100 proof vodka and you will not give shet about global warming or cooling !
Report Post »CatholiConservative
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 5:19pmyou’re missing the bigger evil scheme here- seltzer water pumped into the ground may serve to infiltrate the ground water table with the carbonated liquid- if that happens they will put SodaStream out of business in iceland for sure!!
Report Post »John 1776
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:17pmAh… did they bother to research what effect the smaller limestone will have underground? Such as an earthquake as the top layers cave in after enough time. Every time “science” tries to fix a large-scale problem, we end up with an even larger scale problem.
Was nice having Iceland around. Going to miss it when it sinks into the ocean.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:47pmfunny thing… plants and trees get larger with more co2, and in turn produce more o2.
Report Post »Devil Dog 7175
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:42amGo for it!!! (IDIOTS!)
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:06pmIf you remove most of the carbon dioxide (CO2), won’t the plants die? Then where would we get oxygen?
Report Post »LinkedIn G
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:33pmIf there weren’t so many whales … we’d have more plankton … thus more oxygen. Plankton creates more of the worlds oxygen than it gets credit for. So … yes … whales are bad.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 9:48pmDoes it really? Is that why seaweed is supposed to be so good for you?
Report Post »BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:42amConsidering that Global Warming is just a Myth the seltzer water will most assuredly work.
Report Post »GaryInTheMiddle
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:38amBurp!
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:38amAnd God Laughs!
Report Post »LIBERALSBEDAMNED
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 11:13amGod is not laughing. What human beings are doing is disgusting to God
Report Post »Seabee79
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 11:31amHow do you know there is a god????????????? just asking.
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 11:43amSeabee79 – look closely around you. Everything that exists is very, very complex. Could such a complex world, from the smallest to largest living thing, be just random? That all species reproduce in complex ways. If you answer yes, then I say amazing. For me, its the hand of the Creator.
Report Post »Cesium
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 2:24pm@NHWinter Short answer.. Yes.
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:36amWe haven’t been on this earth long enough to know the cycles that it goes through. I watch the history and Dicovery channel sometimes and watch them tell us that the earth has had so many ice ages since it was formed. But they never tell you how hot it has been over the many centuries. But if the truth be known they have no idea how many ice ages this earth has been through. They will never be able to tell you how many cycles this earth has been through. Just because one country has a bad winter doesn’t mean the rest of the world is going to have one. If they want to pump soda pop down a hole. Then let them because after it is finished they still won’t be able to tell you anymore than how much soda pop they pumped down the hole.
Report Post »bigfatslob
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:35am…And as we head towards the next “mild” iceage which is part of earths natural cycle…all the left loons will be scrambling trying to figure out how to create more CO2 to warm mother earth because of manmade global cooling from years of CO2 storage….LOL
Report Post »gsplgtr
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:45amHey BFS if they keep talking, that should do quite nicely! LOL
Report Post »the wireworker
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:33amgeo-engineering at it’s finest…….sarcasm
Report Post »MIBUGNU2
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:48amDon’t these people have a volcano thats about to BLOW them
off the face of the Map, one in 2010 and again in 2011, This
volcane WAS dormant for over 200 Years..Dont mess with
Mother Nature….Gore must have an investment in this ???
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8578576.stm
Report Post »Hungry_i
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:31amPlop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is…
Report Post »mywing68
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:10pmAW man I was going to say that
Report Post »NJTMATO
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:30amWhat happens when we have too much rock on the planet and the plants can’t grow? Aren’t they taking the CO2 away from plantlife? Will the plantlife spit out enough oxygen for us to breathe? Oh my, this is just too much! I am at a loss for words.
Report Post »Beauzeaux
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 11:40amhow do we breath with NO TREES!!!!!!!…..think a bit…gradeschool science!!!
Report Post »starman70
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:30amWell, if you live on a small island in the North Atlantic which is 99% covered with ice it is hard to find anything to do with your time. So one dreams up, using the proven wrong pseudo science of Global Warming, something to occupy ones time.
I just wonder how many of the United Stated taxpayer dollars are being used to fund this? Is this a Stimulus Package for unemployed Icelanders?
Report Post »cntrlfrk
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:28am‘
I receive updates from the government on U.S. Grants available.
I got one this morning for a $1 Million grant available from the E.P.A. to help set up Environmental Regulations and Controls in MOROCCO.
Friggin’ MOROCCO!
Yes, we are spreading our wealth around, and our bad regulatory agencies.
.
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:25am30 years ago Global Cooling (Man-Made)? was going to destroy the earth
20 years ago Global Cooling or Global Warming (Man- Made)?? was going to destroy the earth
10 years ago Global Warming (Man-Made)?? was going to destroy the earth.
Today the TEA Party, and Conservatives are going to destroy the earth.
10 years from now a ginormus Carbon Dioxide Burp will cause Iceland to sink beneath the Atlantic (Absolutely MAN-MADE)
Report Post »travlman77
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:25amIt’s not nice to mess with Mother Nature!
Report Post »usd04422
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:22amNext will be corks ..to plug you know what. CO2 is necessary to live, so yes I would be interested to see Iceland and Al Gore CO2 free
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:20amYet a new way to squander our wealth! What’s next? Perhaps a plan to buy large quantities of soft drinks and bury them. Of course, burying Chanpagne would destroy wealth faster! http://commonsense21c.com/
Report Post »stopthespending
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:18amHow much tax payer money did this goon get.
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:16amSounds like a great cartoon theme. What a bunch of clowns. Man does not affect the climate; nature and God do. Deal with it, morons.
Report Post »IAMMADDOG
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:16amThe liberals will NEVER curb CO2 because they spew butt-loads of it every time they open their whining pieholes.
Report Post »NOKOOLAIDDRINKER
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:28amAmen!
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:13amIf the CO2 is in the volcano, doesn‘t that mean that it’s supposed to be there as nature intended? Why are they trying to screw around with things? If they REALLY want to do something beneficial for the planet, they need to shove Al Gore down that hole. His big head and overinflated ego are large enough to fill any chasm and abyss……
Report Post »Steel Awesome
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 12:26pmGood point. We need to cap all volcanoes out there.
Report Post »starman70
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 9:00pmONE volcano can emit more carbon dioxide in one week than all the cars in the world in six months. It has ever been thus. I guess Al Gore can pass legislation banning volcanos.
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:13amDon’t you get it yet? The whole “Global Warming Scam” is simply an emotional argument to allow the tyrants to reward their political cronies with your hard earned money. To see a cartoon that exposes the intent of the Global Warming Scam click on: http://commonsense21c.com/images/GLOBAL_WARMING_SCAM.jpg
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:12amLet‘s try to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, smart, good use of resources. Wonder what the unexpected consequences will be?
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:09amAn international team of scientists should begin pumping bloated Al Goreleoni into a deep hole.
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:15amyour idea sounds like intentional polution!
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:15amI think maybe throwing Al Gore into their biggest volcano and capping it would help more than this. Does this mean that all Icelanders are banned from drinking carbonated drinks, now? Opening all those cans and bottles and letting that dreaded CO2 escape into the atmosphere must be very scary and stressful for them.
Report Post »NOKOOLAIDDRINKER
Posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:07amSounds like a lot of voodoo science, and it surely will come back to bite them somewhere.
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