Burying the problem of greenhouse emissions

More than half of Australia's carbon dioxide emissions come from power stations. Storing these harmful gases underground can drastically reduce the rate of emission build-up in our atmosphere.

CSIRO'S Dr Lincoln Paterson says that it is possible to capture the gases emitted by these stationary sources, and strip out the carbon dioxide in order to pump it back underground.

"Oil, gas and coal all come from underground in the first place," says Paterson. "We're looking at the feasibility of putting the carbon dioxide from these fuels back where it came from."

A team of scientists from the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), including CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and a number of universities is investigating 'geosequestration' of carbon dioxide as a practical and feasible way of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, as well as providing a lead to countries around the world grappling with the same problem.

"Carbon dioxide from vehicles and other moving sources has to be dealt with by developing hybrid or hydrogen powered vehicles," he says, "but for the massive existing stationary sources of emissions which underpin Australia's industries, geosequestration provides a real opportunity to continue to operate efficiently while developing new technologies for an emission-free future."

Dr Paterson emphasises that geosequestration of carbon dioxide can never be more than part of the solution in the short- to mid-term.

"We are still dealing with the legacy of the industrial revolution, with coal and oil as the prime movers of industry," says Dr Paterson. "In the mid- to long-term, emerging technologies, possibly based on hydrogen, will power our society but even there, the first steps towards the hydrogen economy are likely to be based on fossil fuels."

"For some decades to come, putting the carbon back underground where it came from is a practical and potentially affordable answer to the problem."

CO2CRC researchers are working in close cooperation with scientists and engineers around the world, says Dr Paterson. Geosequestration projects are already in operation in Europe, North Africa and Canada.

Item provided courtesy of The CSIRO