Fwd: [Rockhounds] West Michigan's geology could be answer to keepingcarbon emissions out of global-warming mix

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

My query to the Grand Rapids Press reporter about the effects of the 
Urey Reaction ended up being passed to Professor Barnes, who was kind 
enough to give me a long personal response. I would like to share parts 
of it with you.

Dave Barnes noted that CO2 injection is only allowed in saline waters 
to avoid contamination of water supplies; he added that chemical 
reactivity is a big issue in the carbon sequestration business.

Supercritical CO2 is soluble (but not missible) in aqueous fluids and 
solubility is controlled by T-P- and salinity of the aqueous fluid. SC 
CO2 is not very soluble in high salinity fluids so that little 
formation of carbonic acid is expected (>10%) in the very saline Mt. 
Simon formation.

"It is important to also consider that SC CO2 injection has been 
conducted in West Texas and New Mexico for more than 20 years in the 
course of CO2 enhanced oil recovery. There is no indication that the 
cement in the well annulus (the area surrounding the pipe casing in the 
CO2 injection wells) has experienced loss of integrity in the CO2/EOR 
wells due to dissolution by carbonic acid. One explanation is that 
immiscible SC CO2 has completely flushed aqueous formation fluids away 
from the bore hole so that no extensive solution of SC CO2 occurs at 
the well bore. Additionally, I think that formation fluid salinity in 
W. Texas is comparably high to Michigan."

Due diligence in permitting of CO2 sequestration in geological 
reservoirs already addresses concerns such as the Urey Reaction. I am 
now fairly confident I don't have to worry about my bedrock basement 
collapsing when this goes commercial.

Kreigh




>
> You make a good point, but CO2 sequestration in geological reservoirs 
> will require substantial "due diligence" in preparation for permitting 
> and these sorts of concerns will/must be addressed. Most of the pubic 
> doesn't know about the Urey equation so we tend not to go into this 
> detail in outreach information including the nice piece by Ken Kolker.


Begin forwarded message:

> From: Kreigh Tomaszewski <Kreigh at Tomaszewski.net>
> Date: Tue Oct 7, 2008  20:10:22 America/Detroit
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
> collectors" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] West Michigan's geology could be answer 
> to	keepingcarbon emissions out of global-warming mix
>
> Axel,
>
> The Urey Reaction has CO2 and siliceous rock, in the presence of 
> water, converting to SiO2 and carbonates. Cements in the Mount Simon 
> formation include quartz and feldspar overgrowths, hematite and 
> kaolinite, carbonate, chlorite, and microquartz (chert). See 
> http://aapgbull.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/6/753.
>
> Since most of the cements are not affected, it should not be a 
> problem. If it were, I suspect it would have shown up in the testing 
> done so for. But it is a good question. Since I live over the 
> formation I have left a message for the reporter to see if the 
> question came up in his research for the article.
>
> Kreigh
>
>
>
> On Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008, at 05:44 America/Detroit, Axel Emmermann 
> wrote:
>
>> Kreigh,
>>
>> Mucho interesting idea!
>> One thought crossed my mind when I found this about sandstone: " 
>> Sandstone,
>> the sedimentary rock is composed of small grains that are cemented by
>> siliceous, felspathic or calcareous cementing material. The cementing
>> material determines the durability of the sandstone.
>>
>> I keep forgetting the name of the reaction but there is a known 
>> effect in
>> which siliceous rock is weathered by CO2 and water into carbonates 
>> and sand.
>> It's the "?????-reaction". I keep forgetting the name but there's a 
>> "u" in
>> it ;-)))
>> AAAAAHHHHHHUUUGGGGGHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (sound of me having a 
>> brainstorm)
>> Got it: the UREY-reaction. Named after Harold Urey.
>> CO2 under high pressure could attack feldspars and other silicates. 
>> Take
>> away the cementing mineral from the sandstone and it could collapse. 
>> That
>> would have a fatal effect on the porosity of the layer in the 
>> immediate
>> vicinity of the injection point.
>>
>> Normally the Urey reaction is a slow geological process. In this case
>> however pressure and temperature may be important in speeding the 
>> reaction.
>>
>> Axel
>>
>>
>>
>>> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>> Van: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
>> [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com]
>>> Namens Kreigh Tomaszewski
>>> Verzonden: zondag 5 oktober 2008 22:38
>>> Aan: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
>>> collectors
>>> Onderwerp: [Rockhounds] West Michigan's geology could be answer to
>> keepingcarbon
>>> emissions out of global-warming mix
>>>
>>> It is not often that the main story on the front page of my local
>>> newspaper is about geology.
>>>
>>> http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/10/
>>> graphic_for_emissions_story.html
>>>
>>>
>>> --
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>>
>> -- 
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>