Germany to start testing underground CO2 storage

June 30, 2008
The project will store up to 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide at a depth of more than 600 meters over the next two years.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences announced that it plans to begin pumping carbon dioxide today into underground storage in Ketzin, Germany.

The national research center said up to 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide would be stored at a depth of more than 600 meters overs the next two years.

“Nowadays, a safe energy supply and environmental aspects can no longer be treated separately,” said professor Reinhard Hüttl, scientific executive director of the German Research Centre for Geosciences.

The research center said this would be the first time that injection into and storage of carbon dioxide in deep, saltwater-filled, porous rocks would be examined in Europe.

The center, which said it’s working with 18 partners from nine countries, said an injection well and two observation wells have been lowered to depths of 800 meters, equipped with modern sensor technology and successfully tested.

The necessary infrastructure and injection-system are complete, according to the national research center.

“With the project CO2-SINK in Ketzin we avail of a worldwide unique laboratory in which we can examine in detail the storage of CO2 in the underground and the interaction with the geo- and biosphere,” said Hüttl.

“In addition to the reduction of CO2-emissions through CO2-separation and storage, regenerative and basic loadable energy resources are tapped and adaptation strategies developed.”

For storage, the research center said carbon dioxide in food-grade quality is employed, which is used, for example, in drinks such as mineral water or beer.

Source :: Cleantech

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