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STORING CARBON DIOXIDE UNDERGROUND

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By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, May 29, 2009

The state plans to start "thumping" roads in rural areas this summer to find out if carbon dioxide can be stored beneath them.

From July through September, large trucks fitted with special devices will travel slowly along public roadways, thumping the ground. The vibrations will allow scientists to capture a two-dimensional picture of the rock layers beneath the surface.

This information will give the state an idea of the best locations to pump carbon dioxide from power plants and other industrial polluters into the ground.

"This project will allow scientists to develop a picture of the subsurface rocks as deep as 10,000 feet, so we can continue to refine the information we have about what areas might be suitable for geologic carbon sequestration and how carbon dioxide can be safely and permanently stored underground," John Quigley, acting secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said in a news release.

Thumping will be done in 41 of the state's 67 counties, including Westmoreland, Indiana, Somerset, Armstrong and Erie.

Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in South Park will be among those who weigh in on the state's findings.

DCNR will be gathering or acquiring existing data for 41 of the states 67 counties. They are: Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Bradford, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.

DANGER OF STORING CARBON DIOXIDE UNDERGROUND

Disadvantages of Carbon Sequestration
The many disadvantages of this process have far-reaching consequences.
The carbon dioxide gas is compressed into a liquid form and is stored deep under the earth’s surface, in areas which are capable of holding the gas securely and preventing it from leaking out. Even though care is taken to identify the right areas for storing the gas underground, there is always a likelihood of the gas leaking out.

When that happens, a number of deadly changes can transpire:

a) The leaked carbon dioxide gas which is in the liquid form can mix with ground water. This will make the ground water extremely toxic and unsuitable for human consumption.

b) Gas stored below the ocean floor can leak out and increase the carbon dioxide content in the lower layers of the ocean. This makes it difficult for the flora and fauna thriving near the ocean surface to adjust to the changes and as a result, the whole ecosystem is disturbed.

c) Leakage of the carbon dioxide gas from underground reservoirs can lead to the replacement of oxygen gas near the earth’s surface with carbon dioxide, leading to loss of plant and animal life in the area.

High cost of the carbon sequestration process

Apart from the above stated issues, the carbon sequestration process also has another major disadvantage.
To store carbon dioxide gas underground, it has to be compressed into liquid form. This process is extremely expensive and requires a lot of energy. The injected gas also has to be monitored constantly for leakage over long periods of time.
Another major issue is that excessive usage of this method slows down the search for non-polluting sources of energy.

Of greater immediate concern are the non-negligible hazards to human health, says the IEA study. These include possible leakage of CO2 from underground depots, which would contaminate groundwater and increase the water's acidity, leading to toxic chemicals such as lead being leached out from rocks. Other dangers associated with leakage include asphyxiation if CO2 levels rose to 7 to 8% by volume of air. There are also risks inherent in transporting CO2 (the gas must be liquefied under high pressure) and in injection processes. All of these problems need to be further studied and overcome if the technology is to be employed on a wide scale.

Last Updated 5/30/09