Carbon Capture and Storage: A Review of Mineral Storage of CO2 in Greece

Kyriaki Kelektsoglou

doi:10.3390/su10124400

Abstract

As the demand for the reduction of global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) increases, the need for anthropogenic CO2 emission reductions becomes urgent. One promising technology to this end, is carbon capture and storage (CCS). This paper aims to provide the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capure, transport, and storage and focuses on mineral carbonation, a novel method for safe and permanent CO2 sequestration which is based on the reaction of CO2 with calcium or magnesium oxides or hydroxides to form stable carbonate materials. Current commercial scale projects of CCS around Europe are outlined, demonstrating that only three of them are in operation, and twenty-one of them are in pilot phase, including the only one case of mineral carbonation in Europe the case of CarbFix in Iceland. This paper considers the necessity of CO2 sequestration in Greece as emissions of about 64.6 million tons of CO2 annually, originate from the lignite fired power plants. A real case study concerning the mineral storage of CO2 in Greece has been conducted, demonstrating the applicability of several geological forms around Greece for mineral carbonation. The study indicates that Mount Pindos ophiolite and Vourinos ophiolite complex could be a promising means of CO2 sequestration with mineral carbonation. Further studies are needed in order to confirm this aspect.

Highlights

Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for energy, which has resulted in an increase in the use of fuels, conventional fossil fuels
The European energy policy established a strategy which promotes the use of renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gases with innovative technologies as carbon capture utilization storage (CCUS/SSC) [76]
Nowadays there are 78 commercial scale projects around Europe that are in various stages of development according to Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) [77]

Summary

Introduction

There is an increasing demand for energy, which has resulted in an increase in the use of fuels, conventional fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). According to the international energy agency (IEA) [2], reaching the goal set by the Paris Agreement requires the storage of at least 1 gigaton of CO2 annually by 2030. The objective of CCS is to capture and store CO2 in several ways [4]. CCS uses the existing processes and technologies available in the oil and gas industries to capture the CO2 and store it deep below the surface in appropriate geological formations for permanent storage [4,5,6]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion