Carbon sequestration in ultramafic rocks from The Tablelands and White Hills, Newfoundland, Canada
With the rising concentration of atmospheric CO₂ and a better understanding of its effect on global climate, there is increasing interest in developing methods of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and its long-term storage. CO₂ mineralization is a naturally occurring process within igneous and ultram...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland
2023
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| Online Access: | https://research.library.mun.ca/15997/ https://research.library.mun.ca/15997/1/converted.pdf |
| Summary: | With the rising concentration of atmospheric CO₂ and a better understanding of its effect on global climate, there is increasing interest in developing methods of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and its long-term storage. CO₂ mineralization is a naturally occurring process within igneous and ultramafic rocks that converts gaseous CO₂ into carbonate minerals. While a promising method, the many factors that affect CO₂ mineralization are not fully understood and require further investigation. This study focused on two ultramafic ophiolites located in Newfoundland, the Tablelands and the White Hills. In this study, field-based CO₂ sequestration experiments were conducted along with laboratory-based CO₂ sequestration experiments using rock samples from the two ophiolites. The field-based experiments recorded the CO₂ sequestration rates of naturally occurring ultra-basic springs with a pH of 11-12. The laboratory experiments varied parameters such as water chemistry, surface area, CO₂ supply, and sampling locations. This study found that the higher pH waters sequestered the most CO₂ and also had the greatest amount of carbonate mineral precipitation. Additionally, it was found that increasing CO₂ supply increased the amount of precipitated carbonate minerals in almost all experiments. |
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