REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT BY GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OF CO2 DEEP UNDER THE EARTH’S SURFACE

Abstract

Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions from burning fossil fuels is one of mankind’s key tasks. One opportunity intensively studied by scientists and engineers is permanent geological storage of CO₂ deep under the Earth’s surface. Appropriate methods are being developed for efficient CO₂ sequestration from smoke gases and for its economical and safe disposal in depleted oil or gas fields, in salt water reservoirs, in coal beds or in oceans. The cost of storage is partly compensated by enhanced oil or gas recovery from a field or by the production of methane from coal beds. In all storage types it must be proven that the CO₂ will not migrate from the storage layer, and the chemical reactions between CO₂, fluids and rocks must be explored.