STORECO2 – Advancing the storage of anthropogenic CO2 emissions by understanding natural carbonation systems
The mineral carbonation process represents a solution for storing anthropogenic CO2 and offers a sustainable, long-term approach to reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations . This technique is inspired by the natural weathering mechanism of silicate minerals, which reaches its highest efficiency in the formation of magnesite deposits in serpentinites. In this process, CO2 is permanently converted into magnesite, an ecologically and biologically safe carbonate mineral. CO2 mineral carbonation in serpentinites is still in the pilot phase and must become economically viable and gain public acceptance before being implemented on a large scale in the coming decades.
The STORECO2 project is a collaboration between the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG) of the National Research Council (CNR) and the Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS). It aims to establish a solid scientific foundation for the adoption of large-scale mineralogical CO2 sequestration through an innovative approach integrating geochemistry, petrology, and geophysical methods. The results will contribute to the creation of a conceptual model defining the optimal conditions for maximizing the efficiency of serpentinite carbonation in both in-situ and ex-situ processes.
This step is crucial to accelerating the adoption of mineral carbonation as an integral component of carbon capture and storage (CCS) strategies, which are essential to achieving the EU's carbon neutrality goal by 2050.