Abstract
The hydration and carbonation of olivine, the most common mineral on Earth, produce a large amount of heat. Unfortunately, the reaction is too slow for normal technological applications, but when thermally well isolated, most of this heat can be recovered, not only for space heating but even for the production of high-pressure steam. During the reaction, CO2 is sustainably sequestered. In this paper, a number of potential applications are described. Using the hydration and carbonation of olivine not only increases the energy production but also sequesters at the same time large volumes of CO2 that would otherwise be emitted, or would have to be removed by expensive technologies. The term “supergreen fuel” refers to the fact that this energy production is not associated with CO2 production, but quite the contrary, it even sequesters CO2 while producing energy.
Highlights
Olivine is a mixed crystal of Mg2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4, in which the magnesium member is usually dominant
Plate-tectonic processes have pushed up enormous slabs of olivine-rich rocks from the mantle to the Earth’s surface, where they can be mined in open pit mines. Their weathering, in case of excess fluid as in wet climates, proceeds according to the following reaction below: Mg2SiO4 þ 4 CO2 þ 4 H2O→2 Mg2þ þ 4 HCO3‐ þ H4SiO40
The resulting magnesium bicarbonate solutions are carried by rivers to the sea, where marine organisms convert them to carbonate rocks
Summary
Olivine is a mixed crystal of Mg2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4, in which the magnesium member is usually dominant. Exergy production from carbonation and hydration When there is no excess of fluids, a more or less closed system filled with olivine, CO2, and water in stoichiometric proportions reacts as follows: 2 Mg2SiO4 þ 1 CO2 þ 2 H2O→Mg3Si2O5ðOHÞ4 þ MgCO3 It should be stressed again that the reaction proceeds slowly at low temperatures, so it is imperative that the system should have a large volume and be isolated very well to make sure that the heat that is slowly produced is not conducted or radiated away.
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