by David K.
Member since:
April 29, 2007

Rocks Can Soak Up Greenhouse Gases, Scientists Say

November 07, 2008 04:36 PM EST
views: 137 | comments: 33

And they aren't kidding.

Ever hear of peridotite?  According to an article that is scheduled to appear in the November 11th edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [*see note below], peridotite is a rock mostly found at the earth's surface in Oman, although it is very common underground.  Apparently when carbon dioxide comes in contact with it the gas is converted into solid minerals such as calcite.

Some geologists think that the naturally occurring process can be used "to grow underground minerals that can permanently store 2 billion or more of the 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted by human activity every year."

Check out the full article here.

So, what do you think?  Can we supercharge these rocks to accept some of our excess carbon dioxide? Or should we focus on creating less carbon dioxide in the first place?

[*the article says Proceedings of the Natural Academy... (i.e., not National) but I think it means National Academy]

Posted in Innovation Futures, Political Futures, Gather It All and Share It With Your Friends.

Comments: 33

Oh no, I have a huge calcite sphere -- now you've got me wondering what all on earth is in it? And I think we ought to concentrate on creating less carbon dioxide in the first place, but I've thought that for years.
Marilyn
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 4:47pm EST
It would be cool to be able to store excess CO2 in rocks, but think about the cost and effort to get it down there.
James C. Nov 7, 2008, 4:49pm EST
Very interesting!
Kelly Kay Nov 7, 2008, 4:54pm EST
interesting, I have not heard of this before, thanks!
Ryan Reid Nov 7, 2008, 5:00pm EST
interesting, but i dont think its a huge help. just a little bit. still need to lower emmisions
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 5:01pm EST
Yes, this is new to me as well. It's an intriguing concept.
Kathy S. Nov 7, 2008, 5:12pm EST
Hmmm... this is something worth thinking about.
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 5:16pm EST
Kathy - I agree. It's something to look into and put on the table as a possible component of the solution. My own feeling is that there is no one technology that will solve the problem, but rather a combination of technologies - along with a heavy focus on conservation.
Denise C. Nov 7, 2008, 5:30pm EST
I love to peridot. Its my favorite gem. Peridot comes from peridotite and I believe it is found all over the middle east. I can now tell my husband and site this article as the reason I need more peridot jewelry. It kills the greenhouse gases in the air!
Sharon K. Nov 7, 2008, 5:34pm EST
David I believe both would be a great ideal! Great article, thanks for sharing! Bringing awareness is the first step to solving this problem.

Have a great evening!
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 5:36pm EST
Denise - Great idea!! Save the planet, and get gifts too! :)
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 5:37pm EST
Thanks Sharon. There are a lot of good ideas out there. We just have to be open to looking at them.
Randy W. Nov 7, 2008, 6:08pm EST
Before putting a lot of time and money into growing rocks, maybe we should find out if CO2 generated by man is harmful.

I don't find Al Gore's PR compelling when compared to the scientists who disagree with him. But, at present, I consider CO2 generated global warming a disputed theory worthy of further study, but not much more.
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 6:13pm EST
Randy - Actually, the scientific consensus is that excess CO2 in the atmosphere is harmful. Not because Al Gore says so (he's not a scientist), but because atmospheric and climate scientists say so. You may find it to be a disputed theory, but the scientific consensus is clear.
Ali C. Nov 7, 2008, 6:14pm EST
Wow, that sure would be great! Thanks for sharing the article.
Jack E. Nov 7, 2008, 6:15pm EST
It is interesting but I think we should keep finding ways to reduce our carbon emissions and make our atmosphere more friendly for future generations.
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 6:16pm EST
Jack - I think you're right. We can only sequester so much. We need to stop making so much of it.
Mary M. Nov 7, 2008, 6:27pm EST
I don't think it's a practical answer to the problem.
David K. Nov 7, 2008, 6:28pm EST
Why is that, Mary? Difficulty implementing, or not going to do enough?
Larry H. Nov 7, 2008, 9:10pm EST
THANKS FOR SHARING..
Debra C. Nov 7, 2008, 9:38pm EST
This has interesting possiblities though, like everything else, we must consider what an increase in this rock on the surface might also cause. Still, controlled, it may (temporarily) help mitigate the reduction of forests until we can find other ways to reduce CO2 levels and production.
Jenny D. Nov 8, 2008, 1:17am EST
Thanks for sharing!
David K. Nov 8, 2008, 2:08am EST
Debra - I'll have to read more, but I think the idea was somehow to inject the CO2 down to the subterranean rocks. The experiments that are doing are with the ones near the surface (I think I have this right).
Bill Lawrence Nov 8, 2008, 8:53am EST
Amazing to read comments from those who actually discount the scientific consensus about global warming...as the polar icecaps melt and the weather gets weirder and weirder. Ah, well. I guess the obvious answer to the question posed is: do whatever we can on all fronts.
David K. Nov 8, 2008, 9:46am EST
Bill - The bottom line is that there are things happening that we need to deal with, and deal with now.
Bill Lawrence Nov 9, 2008, 8:10pm EST
Amen to that, David.
donna h. Nov 12, 2008, 7:49pm EST
very interesting
David K. Nov 13, 2008, 1:29am EST
Thanks. I thought it was pretty interesting also.
Kimber L. Nov 19, 2008, 10:22pm EST
Great article very interesting!
David K. Nov 20, 2008, 12:34am EST
Thanks Kimber
© MrBill   Dec 30, 2008, 4:50pm EST
Very interesting, but I wonder if the peridotite ever releases CO2 and at what rates.
David K. Dec 30, 2008, 4:55pm EST
Good question MrBill. I think the idea is to sequester it in the rocks deep below the surface of the land, so it presumably won't be re-released back to the surface. Still, I haven't seen this idea show up on any plans for the next Administration yet.

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