Sunday 12 June 2016

oh—they’ve encased him carbonite

Although many believe that the sequestering of carbon-dioxide and other greenhouses gases (out of sight, out of mind) is a tenable solution, the practical application of the technique is slow in coming. Many risks still remain and leakage is a serious issue, potentially unleashing tremors and spoiling of aquifers like fracking operations.
Heretofore, only one commercial plant is on-line in Canada, pumping the noxious by-product deep into a part of the Earth adjudged to be a reasonably safe oubliette. In volcanic Iceland, however, scientists have been able to turn to chemistry to fix atmospheric CO₂ and transform it into the basalt substrate that the island is composed of, incorporated as veins of chalk (limestone). Like trolls (Trรถlli) turned to stone when caught in the light of day, perhaps special conditions exist in Iceland which would make the technique somewhat of a challenge to export, but maybe this form of carbon-capture could help clean up industries globally one day.