Mechanochemical processing of silicate rocks to trap CO2
Stillings, Mark and Shipton, Zoe K. and Lunn, Rebecca J. (2023) Mechanochemical processing of silicate rocks to trap CO2. Nature Sustainability, 6 (7). pp. 780-788. ISSN 2398-9629 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01083-y)
Preview |
Text.
Filename: Stillings_etal_NS_2023_Mechanochemical_processing_of_silicate_rocks_to_trap_CO2.pdf
Accepted Author Manuscript License: Strathprints license 1.0 Download (1MB)| Preview |
Abstract
Milling minerals rich in magnesium and iron within CO2 gas has been proposed to capture carbon as metal-carbonates. We conduct milling experiments in CO2 and show that polymineralic rocks such as granite and basalt, whether high or low in carbonate-forming metals, are more efficient at trapping CO2 than individual minerals. This is because the trapping process is not, as previously thought, based on the carbonation of carbonate-forming metals. Instead, CO2 is chemically adsorbed into the crystal structure, predominantly at the boundaries between different minerals. Leaching experiments on the milled mineral/rock powders show that CO2 trapped in single minerals is mainly soluble, whereas CO2 trapped in polymineralic rocks is not. Under ambient temperature conditions, polymineralic rocks can capture >13.4 mgCO2/g as thermally stable, insoluble CO2. Polymineralic rocks are crushed worldwide to produce construction aggregate. If crushing processes could be conducted within a stream of effluent CO2 gas (as produced from cement manufacture) our findings suggest that for every 100 Mt of hard rock aggregate sold, 0.4-0.5 MtCO2 could be captured as a by-product.
ORCID iDs
Stillings, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8418-6866, Shipton, Zoe K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2268-7750 and Lunn, Rebecca J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4258-9349;-
-
Item type: Article ID code: 84610 Dates: DateEventJuly 2023Published13 March 2023Published Online7 February 2023AcceptedSubjects: Technology > Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) > Environmental engineering
Technology > Chemical engineeringDepartment: Faculty of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 09 Mar 2023 11:53 Last modified: 22 Nov 2024 01:20 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/84610