Sequestration of CO_2 in geological media: criteria and appraoch for site selection in response to climate change

摘要

Anthropogenic effects on climate can be mitigated through various measures, among them eing CO_2 sequestration in geological media. Geological sinks for CO_2 do not really need any major technological development because the technology has already been developed and applied by the upstream energy industry for hydrocarbon exploration and production. The challenge is rather to identify the best methods and sites for long term CO_2 sequestration. There are vaous ways to sequester CO_2 in geological media: utilization in EOR operations, disposal in disused oil and gas reserviors, replacement of methane in coal beds, injection in deep saline aquifers and storage in salt caverns.