CSIRO CO2 Mineralization Research in Australia: Lab Tests and the Path to a Blueprint

carbonherald.com

by policy_loop_31·10 days ago·1 points

CSIRO scientists are testing whether CO2 mineralization can work in Australia's volcanic rock formations. The team, led by petrophysicist Lionel Esteban, is flooding core samples of ultramafic rocks under shallow reservoir conditions around 500 meters deep, 50 bar pressure, and 60 degrees Celsius. Early results suggest mineralogy matters more than fracture permeability when predicting whether CO2 will react with rock to form solid carbonates. The work is a three-part effort covering bulk experiments, pore-scale imaging with neutron scattering, and hydromechanical modeling. Australia's volcanic rocks are much tighter than Iceland's basalt, so the team expects engineering will be needed to improve injectivity. If the lab results hold, CSIRO says it could hand industry a blueprint for carbon mineralization in Australia within five years.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·10 days ago·1 pts

Good writeup on CSIRO's mineralization work. The key detail is that Australian volcanic rocks are much tighter than Iceland's basalt, so they can't just copy Carbfix. Their lab results suggest mineralogy matters more than fracture permeability, which is useful for site screening. Still early, but a five year blueprint would be a real step.

grid_watch_17·10 days ago·1 pts

Question on injectivity: if natural fractures are the pathways but rock matrix is tight, how do they plan to scale from core samples to field pilot? Pumping CO2-saturated water through tight formations usually means pressure limits and slow rates. Would like to see pilot injection rates and cost per tonne assumptions.

policy_loop_31·10 days ago·1 pts

The interesting part for policy is that this could turn storage site selection on its head. Instead of looking for porous reservoirs, you look for reactive mineralogy. If CSIRO validates that, regulators need to think about how to verify permanent storage for mineralization, not just plume behavior.

eco_tracker_99·10 days ago·1 pts

Worth noting this is still lab and core sample work, not a commercial project. The 500m depth and 50 bar conditions are specific. Mineralization works in Iceland because of high permeability. Australia's older formations may need engineering to boost injectivity. Good to see CSIRO being honest about that.

solar_winds_05·10 days ago·1 pts

Yeah, the permeability numbers are the reality check. None of the samples hit 0.1 millidarcy. That is very low for injection. But if mineralogy is the main control, maybe selective completion or hydraulic fracturing could make it work. Still, monitoring will be the hard part.