14 DAY TRIAL // A recent investigation carried out with the support of the Department of Energy in the United States has revealed that the country's Rock Springs Uplift in southern Wyoming has the potential to store about 14 to 17 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Were it to be coerced to take in this much of this carbon dioxide, the geological formation would deliver major benefits in terms of limiting climate change and global warming, specialists explain.
In fact, the Department claims that the 14 to 17 billion tons of carbon dioxide that could be stored in the Rock Springs Uplift are the equivalent of emissions estimated to be released over 250 to 300 years by coal plants and other polluting facilities in Wyoming.
Interestingly enough, this research project sponsored by the Unites States Department of Energy has also found that, while storing carbon in the Wyoming Rock Springs Uplift, the country could extract significant amounts of lithium.
Thus, it is estimated that, for each and every million metric ton of carbon dioxide going into this geological formation, roughly 250 metric tons of commercially viable lithium carbonate could be recovered from the resulting brine.
Specialists with the Department say that, all things considered, this lithium carbonate extracted from the Wyoming Rock Springs Uplift while pumping in carbon dioxide would have a market value of about $1.6 million (€1.17 million).
“Lithium, which is used in batteries and other electronics applications, has become vital as many nations transition to greener technologies. The recovered lithium could generate revenue to offset the cost of CO2 storage and help reduce the need for lithium import,” the Department of Energy says.
In order to assess the carbon storage capacity of the Rock Springs Uplift in Wyoming, researchers collected and analyzed information concerning its geological, hydrological, and geochemical properties. This information was collected by drilling a 12,810-foot-deep (3,904 meters) test well.
To ensure that the data obtained in this manner held true for areas other than the one of the test well, the scientists behind this investigation carried out a seismic survey of a 25-square-mile (65 square kilometers) region surrounding the well. This allowed them to gain a better understanding of the properties of the area.
“The seismic data allowed the researchers to extrapolate the geologic properties measured in the well – such as porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation – to the rocks throughout the two storage reservoirs and confining formations. This made it possible to build realistic three-dimensional geologic models of these formations,” the Department explains.