Brian Hitchon (Editor)
1996
165 pp. /51 line diagrams /9 tables
$50.00 (hardcover), $35.00 (softcover)
ISBN 0-9680844-0-0
Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas, and mitigation of the effects of this gas on global warming includes its capture and disposal into deep aquifers. Successful application involves knowledge of both the hydrogeology of sedimentary basins and of chemical reactions in the aquifer among the injected carbon dioxide, the original aquifer water, and the minerals of the aquifer.
A multi-year study of the underground disposal of carbon dioxide by The Commission of the European Communities concluded that “Underground disposal is a perfectly feasible method of disposing of very large quantities of carbon dioxide, such as are produced by fossil fuel fired power plants. All the necessary technological steps are commercially proven and thus could be implemented today.” Although the study was comprehensive in its coverage, the participants did not carry out an actual field evaluation of the process. Rather, they cited publications of the Alberta Research Council that describe a three-year study of the aquifer disposal of carbon dioxide in the Wabamun area, 60 km west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The full report of the Wabamun study is now available in this book.
“This book can best be described as an extended case-study of the disposal of CO2 produced by coal-burning electricity-generating plants in Alberta in deep aquifers.”
The Canadian Mineralogist