Clemson earns EPA grant

By John Boyanoski  

FEBRUARY 26, 2010 9:39 a.m. (0)

Clemson University is getting an $891,342 slice of a $17 million federal pie to study the effects of injecting carbon dioxide (CO₂) dissolved in brine deep underground in order to sequester the greenhouse gas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.

The CO₂- laden liquid would be injected into saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields. Brine, which is heavier than fresh water, becomes even heavier when CO₂ is added.

In theory this will enable scientists to sequester the CO₂ without threatening underground fresh water supplies.

Clemson would be doing some of the basic science in this field.

EPA notes depositing tremendous volumes CO₂ underground is not without some risk of contaminating fresh water drinking supplies.

The agency said there are plausible scenarios where the CO₂-saturated brine could migrate to shallower depths where the CO₂ would be released from solution and form a mobile gas pocket that could threaten drinking water supplies.

Also getting funding through EPA was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC was awarded $300,000 and Georgia Institute of Technology was awarded $599,963 to research climate change as it relates to air quality.

Work done at each university would ultimately environmental work for the next 40 years, EPA said.

Clemson researchers Ron Falta and Larry are to do the research at Clemson.

“Geologic storage of carbon dioxide is considered to be a very secure way to isolate the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for thousands of years. However, there is a slight chance that some of the carbon dioxide could start to leak from some formations,” said Falta. “Our work will help to identify the geologic conditions that may lead to leakage, and we will develop techniques for minimizing the impact of leaks if they do occur.”

CO₂ is captured from a coal, gas or oil-fired power plant and injected deep underground. Falta and Murdoch, professors in the department of environmental engineering and earth science, will focus on the behavior of carbon dioxide dissolved in saltwater at high pressure and methods to keep it safely away from shallow drinking water aquifers.

The Clemson researchers will work with Stanford University scientist Sally Benson, director of Stanford's Global Climate and Energy Project.

More information about the grants and the grant awardees: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/climate

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