Carbon dioxide - CO2 - is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of 2

oxygen atoms each covalently double bonded to a single carbon atom. Although carbon
dioxide is an important component that contributes to the atmosphere, it should not
be higher than normal level because it can harm the living things in the world
especially humans. It is reported that the increase in the concentration of CO2 in
the last 3 decades was the worst of all and actions must be taken. In order to
continue lowering the concentration of CO2, several methods have been proposed and
one of which is CO2 sequestration.

Mineral CO2 sequestration appears to be the possible way of reducing the CO2
concentration. The concept of sequestration was disposing the CO2 into the mineral
while it reacted within the minerals that appear to be reactive such as magnesium
and calcium.

Today, there seems to be considerable scientific evidence that human activities may
cause climate change due to the enhanced greenhouse effect (IPCC, 2001). The
consequences of possible climate change include e.g. melting of polar ice caps and
glaciers, a sea level rise, mainly due to thermal expansion of the ocean water, and
increased extreme weather events (IPCC, 2001). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is by far the
largest contributor to the assumed enhanced greenhouse effect among the various
greenhouse gases, such as CO2, CH 4 , N 2 O, and halocarbons. The CO2 emissions due
to human activities are mainly caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy supply
(IPCC, 2005). The global annual emission of CO2 was about 23.5 Gt CO2 /yr in 2000
(IPCC, 2005). The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased
progressively since the beginning of the Industrial Age by about 30% from 280
(1750) to 367 ppm (1999) (IPCC, 2001).

In order to prevent a major climate change, the atmospheric CO2 concentration

should be stabilized by either increasing the (biological) CO2 up-take from the
atmosphere or reducing the CO2 emissions. Three major approaches for reduction of
CO2 emissions can be distinguished:

� Reduction of the energy consumption based on fossil fuels,

� Energy generation by non-fossil sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and
nuclear energy, and
� Carbon capture and storage (CCS). In CCS-technologies, CO2 is separated from
the flue gas of a stationary CO2 source, such as a fossil fuel based power plant,
and subsequently stored for long-term isolation from the atmosphere (IPCC, 2005).

Various technologies for carbon dioxide sequestration have been proposed, such as
storage in depleted gas fields, oceans and aquifers. An alternative sequestration
route is the so-called �mineral CO2 sequestration� route in which CO2 is chemically
stored in solid carbonates by the carbonation of minerals. As mineral feedstock,
rocks that are rich in alkaline earth silicates can be used. Examples are olivine
(MgSiO4) and wollastonite (CaSiO3). Mineral CO2 sequestration has some fundamental
advantages compared to other sequestration routes. The formed products are
thermodynamically stable and therefore the sequestration of CO2 is permanent and
safe. Furthermore, the sequestration capacity is large because large suitable
feedstock deposits are available worldwide. Finally, the carbonation reactions are
exothermic.

Therefore, research focuses on increasing the reaction rate in order to obtain an

industrial viable process. Optimisation of the process conditions is constrained
by the thermodynamics of the process. Increasing the temperature and CO2 pressure
accelerates the reaction rate, but gaseous CO2 is favoured over mineral carbonates
at high temperatures. Using water or another solvent to extract the reactive
component from the matrix accelerates the process. Pre-treatment of the mineral by
size reduction and thermal or mechanical activation and optimisation of the
solution chemistry result in major improvements of the reaction rate.
During recent years, laboratory-scale experiments have shown major improvements of
the conversion rates by developing various process routes and optimising process
conditions. The most promising route available seems to be the direct aqueous
route, for which reasonable reaction rates at feasible process conditions have been
shown. Important aspects of mineral CO2 sequestration are the transport of the
materials involved and the fate of the products. Transport costs can be minimised
by transporting the carbon dioxide towards a mineral sequestration plant situated
near the feedstock mine.

Therefore, at present, there is insufficient knowledge to conclude whether a cost-

effective and energetically acceptable process will be feasible. Mineral carbon
sequestration is a longer-term option compared to other sequestration routes, but
its fundamental advantages justify further research. Major issues that need to be
resolved in order to enable large-scale implementation are the energy consumption
of the process, the reaction rates and the environmental impact of mineral CO2
sequestration.