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CO2 Sequestration

Last updated: November 12, 2018

What Does CO2 Sequestration Mean?

The process by which so-called "carbon sinks" remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration. It may include, removing of CO2 from atmosphere to a reservoir, oceans, chemical weathering of rocks, soils, forests or carbon capture and storage.

Safeopedia Explains CO2 Sequestration

There are two basic types of carbon sequestration processes:

  • Natural sequestration – Oceans are the biggest reservoir for CO2. It dissolves in the water directly or through planktons. Forests are also big carbon reservoirs. Trees and plants consume huge amounts of CO2 in the photosynthesis process and it remains stored for long periods of time. Soils uptake a large quantity of organic carbon too. The savannas capture carbon in the soil during their controlled burning
  • Artificial sequestration – CO2 is captured at its source, such as power plants, before it is released into the atmosphere. CO2 is then separated from other gases, purified, compressed and transported to the sequestration sites and finally injected to the sub-surface geological reservoirs, oceans or mines. Examples of this are Ocean at the Norwegian gas field and the South China Sea. The capacity of the oceans are unlimited, but the question of how long they would keep CO2 stored and the possibility of increase of acidity near the storage area, whether it is harmful for the marine life or not is, as of yet, unknown
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