Abstract

44.01 enhances the natural process of carbon mineralisation in peridotite to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) permanently by turning it into rock. CO2 is captured from the air or industrial processes and dissolved in water. This CO2 charged water is then injected into peridotite formations deep underground, where the CO2 converts to carbonate rocks. 44.01 has conducted successful pilots in the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is now scaling up deployment to demonstrate feasibility at commercial scales.

The monitoring pathways of CO2 and its associated injection fluid must be distinguished based on their specific spatial and temporal boundaries as well as different risk profiles. Safety and permanence of the CO2 stored by mineralisation is assured by undergoing a comprehensive risk assessment exercise similar to any other CO2 sequestration project. We have developed a robust monitoring, measurement, reporting, and verification (MMRV) framework based on the lessons learned from 44.01’s past and ongoing projects. All the environmentally sensitive domains must be identified in proximity to the storage complex (geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere) with respective baseline conditions defined. All phases of a mineralisation project must be monitored with an adaptive approach, considering intensity and frequency of monitoring requirements change throughout the lifetime of a project and as injection volume grows in the storage complex.

A scientifically sound and commercially viable MMRV programme requires that the risk assessment is intrinsically linked to the development of a site-specific monitoring plan. This framework takes into consideration the unique spatial and temporal potential leakage pathways for the injected CO2 charged water and proposes that project boundaries are carefully established for the mineralisation storage complex. These procedures, coupled with monitoring, are designed to support, and demonstrate zero-leakage assumptions for both CO2 and injected water.

Full paper available here:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5028480