ADVANCING CO2 STORAGE THROUGH CARBON MINERALIZATION IN THE US

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage through mineralization offers a safe and permanent storage of captured CO₂: By targeting mafic or ultra mafic rock formations the injected CO₂ is rapidly transformed into solid carbonate minerals. Carbfix completed a field demonstration in Iceland in 2012, showing near complete mineralization of the injected CO₂ within two years. Carbfix has since then continued advancing their technology and has currently injected over 100 kilotons of CO₂ in four locations in Iceland – both captured from point sources as well as directly from the atmosphere through direct air capture (DAC) facilities. Building on over a decade experience in project development and execution, Carbfix has ambitious goals to accelerate implementation of this CO₂ storage approach in the United States, and has entered into a strategic partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a leader in mineral storage research and the only other entity worldwide that has to date demonstrated successfully mineral storage of CO₂ in basaltic rocks: In 2013, PNNL led the Wallula Field Demonstration project, injecting CO₂ into the deep layered basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) of Eastern Washington State, revealing ~60% mineralization 24 months after injection. The storage potential of the CRBG has been estimated to be on the order of hundreds to thousands of Gigatons of CO₂. Currently, Carbfix and PNNL are collaborating on clean energy projects across the United States, covering different aspects of the development and implementation of CO₂ mineralization. We present the aim of these projects, their current status and how they contribute to the path from feasibility to eventual commercialization, identifying both challenges and opportunities.