Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile

Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society. Magnesium-rich minerals that are abundant in ultramafic mining waste have the potential to be used as a safe and permanent sequestration solution for carbon dioxide (CO2). Our understanding of thermo-hydro-chemical regimes that govern this reaction at an i...

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Main Authors: Nowamooz, A., Dupuis, Christian, Beaudoin, G., Molson, J., Lemieux, J., Horswill, M., Fortier, R., Larachi, F., Maldague, X., Constantin, M., Duchesne, J., Therrien, R.
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72806
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author Nowamooz, A.
Dupuis, Christian
Beaudoin, G.
Molson, J.
Lemieux, J.
Horswill, M.
Fortier, R.
Larachi, F.
Maldague, X.
Constantin, M.
Duchesne, J.
Therrien, R.
author_facet Nowamooz, A.
Dupuis, Christian
Beaudoin, G.
Molson, J.
Lemieux, J.
Horswill, M.
Fortier, R.
Larachi, F.
Maldague, X.
Constantin, M.
Duchesne, J.
Therrien, R.
author_sort Nowamooz, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society. Magnesium-rich minerals that are abundant in ultramafic mining waste have the potential to be used as a safe and permanent sequestration solution for carbon dioxide (CO2). Our understanding of thermo-hydro-chemical regimes that govern this reaction at an industrial scale, however, has remained an important challenge to its widespread implementation. Through a year-long monitoring experiment performed at a 110 Mt chrysotile waste pile, we have documented the existence of two distinct thermo-hydro-chemical regimes that control the ingress of CO2 and the subsequent mineral carbonation of the waste. The experimental results are supported by a coupled free-air/porous media numerical flow and transport model that provides insights into optimization strategies to increase the efficiency of mineral sequestration at an industrial scale. Although functioning passively under less-than-optimal conditions compared to laboratory-scale experiments, the 110 Mt Thetford Mines pile is nevertheless estimated to be sequestering up to 100 tonnes of CO2 per year, with a potential total carbon capture capacity under optimal conditions of 3 Mt. Annually, more than 100 Mt of ultramafic mine waste suitable for mineral carbonation is generated by the global mining industry. Our results show that this waste material could become a safe and permanent carbon sink for diffuse sources of CO2.
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publishDate 2018
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-728062018-12-13T09:34:41Z Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile Nowamooz, A. Dupuis, Christian Beaudoin, G. Molson, J. Lemieux, J. Horswill, M. Fortier, R. Larachi, F. Maldague, X. Constantin, M. Duchesne, J. Therrien, R. Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society. Magnesium-rich minerals that are abundant in ultramafic mining waste have the potential to be used as a safe and permanent sequestration solution for carbon dioxide (CO2). Our understanding of thermo-hydro-chemical regimes that govern this reaction at an industrial scale, however, has remained an important challenge to its widespread implementation. Through a year-long monitoring experiment performed at a 110 Mt chrysotile waste pile, we have documented the existence of two distinct thermo-hydro-chemical regimes that control the ingress of CO2 and the subsequent mineral carbonation of the waste. The experimental results are supported by a coupled free-air/porous media numerical flow and transport model that provides insights into optimization strategies to increase the efficiency of mineral sequestration at an industrial scale. Although functioning passively under less-than-optimal conditions compared to laboratory-scale experiments, the 110 Mt Thetford Mines pile is nevertheless estimated to be sequestering up to 100 tonnes of CO2 per year, with a potential total carbon capture capacity under optimal conditions of 3 Mt. Annually, more than 100 Mt of ultramafic mine waste suitable for mineral carbonation is generated by the global mining industry. Our results show that this waste material could become a safe and permanent carbon sink for diffuse sources of CO2. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72806 10.1021/acs.est.8b01128 American Chemical Society restricted
spellingShingle Nowamooz, A.
Dupuis, Christian
Beaudoin, G.
Molson, J.
Lemieux, J.
Horswill, M.
Fortier, R.
Larachi, F.
Maldague, X.
Constantin, M.
Duchesne, J.
Therrien, R.
Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title_full Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title_fullStr Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title_full_unstemmed Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title_short Atmospheric Carbon Mineralization in an Industrial-Scale Chrysotile Mining Waste Pile
title_sort atmospheric carbon mineralization in an industrial-scale chrysotile mining waste pile
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72806