PNNL

To accelerate the green energy transition and mitigate the effects of climate change, new technologies are needed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce the raw materials for solar panels, wind turbines, and electric car batteries. This presentation will provide an overview of geologic carbon storage with a specific focus on carbon mineralization, a process that permanently removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and stores it underground as carbonate minerals. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have pioneered fundamental research in carbon mineralization, leading to the Wallula Basalt Pilot Project—the first field test and validation of supercritical CO₂ injection and storage in basalt reservoirs. We will discuss some of the learnings from Wallula and how that is currently being utilized to bring carbon mineralization to the commercial scale. 

In addition to reducing and removing atmospheric carbon dioxide, the green energy transition requires the development of electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines—all of which require more mineral resources than fossil fuels. Therefore, to source the energy transition, climate smart mining technologies are needed to produce the necessary raw materials. These raw materials are deemed critical minerals, meaning they are crucial to energy technologies and have a high risk of supply chain disruption. We will present an overview of a critical mineral extraction technology that uses CO₂ as a leaching fluid to target low-grade ore deposits. 

As members of the research teams for these projects, Geoscientist Allie Nagurney and Chemist Emily Nienhuis will present an overview of this work that is conducted by PNNL for the Department of Energy.