Carbonatation of Sulphates for CO2 sequestration

CARS-CO2 is a multidisciplinary project that is centred on the carbonatation of sulphates to establish a novel route to capture and store atmospheric CO2.

The two main objectives of this project are: (i) improve our understanding of the crystallization process of sulphates and carbonates at mild hydrothermal conditions, and (ii) study the mechanism, kinetics and stability of the carbonatation of sulphates.

Both objectives are paramount to accomplish our foremost goal, which is to evaluate the potential of sulphate carbonatation as a “sequestrator” of CO2.

To achieve this, several state-of-the-art laboratory and synchrotron-based scattering techniques will be used to monitor in situ the mineral formation and transformation reactions.

To complement the body of bulk mineralization data, during a secondment, isotopic fingerprinting will be used to determine the role of magnesium in the transformation reaction and to define if the transformation is solid state or solution mediated.

The results obtained in this project will not only shed light on how CaSO4-based (waste) materials can help to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere but will also further unveil the formation mechanisms of sulphates and carbonates for relevant environmental conditions on Earth and Mars.