Our work in this newly funded five year project is to investigate new concepts for sequestration of CO₂ from fossil fuel-fired power plants. During fiscal year 1999, EES-1 is characterizing two environments of CO₂ disposal: ultramafic rocks, particularly serpentinites, and saline brines and other sedimentary basin aquifers. The project is conducted jointly with researchers in other LANL Divisions. EES-1 contacts are George Guthrie (gguthrie@lanl.gov) and Fraser Goff (fraser@lanl.gov).

Figure Caption: Photograph looking north of the west side of the Del Puerto ultramafic body (UM) overlying marine rocks of the Franciscan complex (F), California. Ultramafic rocks change from highly foliated antigorite schist at the base to relatively massive harzburgite and dunite near the top. The ultramafic mass thickens to the east (right). This single ultramafic body could sequester about 14 Gigatons (14 x 109 tons) of CO2.

CO2 Sequestration

Publication:

Goff, F., and Lackner, K.S., 1998, Carbon Dioxide Sequestering Using Ultramafic Rocks: Environmental Geosciences, v. 5, p. 89-101.