CARBON-DIOXIDE DISPOSAL IN CARBONATE MINERALS

We introduce a safe and permanent method of CO2 disposal based on comb ining CO2. chemically with abundant raw materials to form stable carbo nate minerals. Substantial heat is liberated in the overall chemical r eaction so that cost will be determined by the simplicity and speed of the reaction rather than the cost of energy. Preliminary investigatio ns have been conducted on two types of processes, involving either dir ect carbonation of minerals at high temperature or processing in aqueo us solution. Promising raw materials are identified in both cases. For aqueous processing, a chemical cycle employing well-known reactions i s proposed for digesting and carbonating the raw material. Cost estima tes, based on comparison with standard industrial and mining practice, are encouraging. Necessary raw materials are surveyed and vast quanti ties are found to be easily accessible. Amounts are sufficient to allo w utilization of the large known fossil-fuel reserves while avoiding b uild-up of atmospheric CO2.