. 24/7 Space News .
CARBON WORLDS
Scientists find way to make mineral which can remove CO2 from atmosphere
by Staff Writers
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 17, 2018

Magnesite sediments in a playa in British Columbia, Canada.

Scientists have found a rapid way of producing magnesite, a mineral which stores carbon dioxide. If this can be developed to an industrial scale, it opens the door to removing CO2 from the atmosphere for long-term storage, thus countering the global warming effect of atmospheric CO2. This work is presented at the Goldschmidt conference in Boston.

Scientists are already working to slow global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but there are serious practical and economic limits on developing the technology.

Now, for the first time, researchers have explained how magnesite forms at low temperature, and offered a route to dramatically accelerating its crystallization. A tonne of naturally-occurring magnesite can remove around half a tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere, but the rate of formation is very slow.

Project leader, Professor Ian Power (Trent University, Ontario, Canada) said:

"Our work shows two things. Firstly, we have explained how and how fast magnesite forms naturally. This is a process which takes hundreds to thousands of years in nature at Earth's surface. The second thing we have done is to demonstrate a pathway which speeds this process up dramatically"

The researchers were able to show that by using polystyrene microspheres as a catalyst, magnesite would form within 72 days. The microspheres themselves are unchanged by the production process, so they can ideally be reused.

"Using microspheres means that we were able to speed up magnesite formation by orders of magnitude. This process takes place at room temperature, meaning that magnesite production is extremely energy efficient"

"For now, we recognise that this is an experimental process, and will need to be scaled up before we can be sure that magnesite can be used in carbon sequestration (taking CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it as magnesite). This depends on several variables, including the price of carbon and the refinement of the sequestration technology, but we now know that the science makes it do-able".

Commenting, Professor Peter Kelemen at Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (New York) said "It is really exciting that this group has worked out the mechanism of natural magnesite crystallization at low temperatures, as has been previously observed - but not explained - in weathering of ultramafic* rocks.

The potential for accelerating the process is also important, potentially offering a benign and relatively inexpensive route to carbon storage, and perhaps even direct CO2 removal from air."


Related Links
Goldschmidt Conference
Carbon Worlds - where graphite, diamond, amorphous, fullerenes meet


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


CARBON WORLDS
Quantum chains in graphene nanoribbons
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
A material that consists of atoms of a single element, but has completely different properties depending on the atomic arrangement - this may sound strange, but is actually reality with graphene nano-ribbons. The ribbons, which are only a few carbon atoms wide and exactly one atom thick, have very different electronic properties depending on their shape and width: conductor, semiconductor or insulator. An international research team led by Empa's laboratory has now succeeded in precisely adjusting ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CARBON WORLDS
Blend of novices, veterans to fly on first private US spaceships

NASA announces new partnerships to develop space exploration technologies

Samsung to invest billions in new tech to drive fresh growth

NASA makes progress toward planetary science decadal priorities

CARBON WORLDS
PLD SPACE signs a 25-year concession for rocket engine testing at Teruel Airport

Aerojet Rocketdyne boosters complete simulated air-launch tests

NASA Selects US Firms to Provide Commercial Suborbital Flight Services

China's newest micro-rocket has fast production cycle

CARBON WORLDS
Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers power generator for Mars 2020 Rover

Still no change in Opportunity's status

Sorry Elon Musk, but it's now clear that colonising Mars is unlikely

Russia Plans to Send Capsule With Microorganisms to Mars

CARBON WORLDS
China's SatCom launch marketing not limited to business interest

China to launch space station Tiangong in 2022, welcomes foreign astronauts

China solicits international cooperation experiments on space station

Growing US unease with China's new deep space facility in Argentina

CARBON WORLDS
Xenesis, Atlas and Laser Light form first space to ground all optical global data distribution joint venture

Bangladesh PM opens satellite ground stations

Seventh set of Iridium NEXT satellites performing well during pre-operational testing

Telesat signs consortium deal with Thales and SSL new LEO constellation

CARBON WORLDS
Natural refrigerant replacements could reduce energy costs and conserve the environment

UNH researchers find seed coats could lead to strong, tough, yet flexible materials

France to set penalties on non-recycled plastic

Microscale superlubricity could pave way for future improved electromechanical devices

CARBON WORLDS
Largest haul of extrasolar planets for Japan

VLA Detects Possible Extrasolar Planetary-Mass Magnetic Powerhouse

TESS catches a comet before starting planet hunting mission

Exoplanets where life could develop as on Earth

CARBON WORLDS
Million fold increase in the power of waves near Jupiter's moon Ganymede

New Horizons team prepares for stellar occultation ahead of Ultima Thule flyby

High-Altitude Jovian Clouds

'Ribbon' wraps up mystery of Jupiter's magnetic equator









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.