Block Energy, a development and production company focused on oil and gas in Georgia, has completed the initial injection for what it claims to be Eastern Europe’s first carbon dioxide mineralisation project.
The company injected 13.6 tonnes of liquid CO2 – supplied by project partner Rustavi Azot (an Indorama company) – and 300m3 of water and sodium fluorescence tracer at pressures of 120 to 130 bar into a wellsite in Georgia.
According to Block, no CO2 was detected at surface during or immediately after the injection at the injector well or the four nearby monitoring wells.
“This represents an important milestone for Block, Georgia and our partner on the pilot project, Indorama, as we seek to demonstrate the [commercial] viability of large-scale, low-cost CCS,” said Paul Haywood, CEO of Block Energy.
How does mineralisation work?
Carbon mineralisation is a process that occurs in nature over hundreds or thousands of years in which certain minerals inside rocks react with atmospheric CO2 to create carbonates, solid minerals that securely remove and sequester CO2.
By accelerating the process to take anywhere from hours to years, scientists estimate that up to one gigatonne of CO2 per year could be removed from the atmosphere globally by 2035 and 10 gigatonnes of CO2 per year by 2050.
Singapore-based chemical holding company Indorama is one of the largest industrial producers in the country and is targeting a range of technologies to decarbonise its processes, including carbon capture, green hydrogen, and biogas.
“This pilot provides valuable insights into how carbon capture and mineralisation can be applied on an industrial scale, helping reduce emissions and align with future EU Carbon regulations,” said Prakash Kejriwal, Group Director of Indorama Corporation.
Following the injection, the partners plan to collect data to determine if the CO2 has mineralised into solid calcium carbonate (therefore being permanently stored) – a process which is likely to take four to six months.
If successful, Block plans to pursue commercialisation opportunities through the mineralisation process via third-party verification and as a solution to carbon emissions reduction within Georgia.
There are a range of different mineralisation pathways at different stages of development. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), further research and more pilot projects are needed to scale up carbon mineralisation.
The WRI has said that further study of the chemistry of certain minerals and how they respond to CO2 mineralisation treatments, as well as overall rock characteristics, is needed.