Mineral carbonation of red gypsum for carbon dioxide sequestration

Reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere is a key challenge in order to mitigate the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. A CO2 emission causes lots of problems to human health and increases the global warming, CO2-uptake decreases these environmental issues. Mineral carbonation process is an alternative method during which industrial wastes rich in calcium (Ca) or magnesium (Mg) react with CO2 to form a stable carbonated mineral. In this research the feasibility of CO2 mineral carbonation by the use of red gypsum, as a Ca-rich source, was technically evaluated using autoclave mini reactor. For this purpose, the effect of a wide-range of key procedure variables such as reaction temperature, reaction time, particle size, stirring rate, CO2 pressure, and liquid to solid ratio, on the rate of mineral carbonation were studied. The results show that the maximum conversion of Ca (98.8%) is obtained at the condition that has optimum amount of these variables. Moreover, the results confirmed that red gypsum has high potential to form calcium carbonate (CaCO3) during the process of CO2 mineral carbonation. It was concluded that mineral carbonation process using red gypsum could be considered as an attractive and lowcost method in industry to mitigate considerable amount of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is the main issue in the current and coming years

Mapping Listvenite Occurrences in the Damage Zones of Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica Using ASTER Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Listvenites normally form during hydrothermal/metasomatic alteration of mafic and ultramafic rocks and represent a key indicator for the occurrence of ore mineralizations in orogenic systems. Hydrothermal/metasomatic alteration mineral assemblages are one of the significant indicators for ore mineralizations in the damage zones of major tectonic boundaries, which can be detected using multispectral satellite remote sensing data. In this research, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral remote sensing data were used to detect listvenite occurrences and alteration mineral assemblages in the poorly exposed damage zones of the boundaries between the Wilson, Bowers and Robertson Bay terranes in Northern Victoria Land (NVL), Antarctica. Spectral information for detecting alteration mineral assemblages and listvenites were extracted at pixel and sub-pixel levels using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA)/Independent Component Analysis (ICA) fusion technique, Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) and Constrained Energy Minimization (CEM) algorithms. Mineralogical assemblages containing Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , Fe-OH, Al-OH, Mg-OH and CO3 spectral absorption features were detected in the damage zones of the study area by implementing PCA/ICA fusion to visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands of ASTER. Silicate lithological groups were mapped and discriminated using PCA/ICA fusion to thermal infrared (TIR) bands of ASTER. Fraction images of prospective alteration minerals, including goethite, hematite, jarosite, biotite, kaolinite, muscovite, antigorite, serpentine, talc, actinolite, chlorite, epidote, calcite, dolomite and siderite and possible zones encompassing listvenite occurrences were produced using LSU and CEM algorithms to ASTER VNIR+SWIR spectral bands. Several potential zones for listvenite occurrences were identified, typically in association with mafic metavolcanic rocks (Glasgow Volcanics) in the Bowers Mountains.Comparison of the remote sensing results with geological investigations in the study area demonstrate invaluable implications of the remote sensing approach for mapping poorly exposed lithological units, detecting possible zones of listvenite occurrences and discriminating subpixel abundance of alteration mineral assemblages in the damage zones of the Wilson-Bowers and Bowers-Robertson Bay terrane boundaries and in intra-Bowers and Wilson terranes fault zones with high fluid flow. The satellite remote sensing approach developed in this research is explicitly pertinent to detecting key alteration mineral indicators for prospecting hydrothermal/metasomatic ore minerals in remote and inaccessible zones situated in other orogenic systems around the world

Calcite precipitation from by-product red gypsum in aqueous carbonation process

The carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration of the atmosphere has been increasing rapidly, and this rapid change has led to promotion of CO2reduction methods. Of all the available methods, CO2mineral carbonation provides a leakage-free option to produce environmentally benign and stable solid carbonates via a chemical conversion to a more thermodynamically stable state. In this research, the precipitation of calcite from by-product red gypsum was evaluated for mineral CO2sequestration. For this purpose, the impact of changing variables such as reaction temperature, particle size, stirring rate, and liquid to solid ratio were studied. The results showed that optimization of these variables converts the maximum Ca (98.8%) during the carbonation process. Moreover, the results confirmed that red gypsum has a considerable potential to form calcium carbonate (CaCO3) during the CO2mineral carbonation process. Furthermore, the low cost and small amount of energy required in the use of by-product red gypsum were considered to be important advantages of the CO2sequestration process. Therefore, the acceptable cost and energy required in mineral carbonation processing of red gypsum confirms that using this raw material represents a method for mineral carbonation with minimal environmental impac

Editorial for the Special Issue: “Multispectral Remote Sensing Satellite Data for Mineral and Hydrocarbon Exploration: Big Data Processing and Deep Fusion Learning Techniques”

Using multispectral remote sensing data in cooperation with big data processing and deep fusion learning techniques provides a new approach for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration [...

Editorial for the Special Issue: “Multispectral Remote Sensing Satellite Data for Mineral and Hydrocarbon Exploration: Big Data Processing and Deep Fusion Learning Techniques”

Using multispectral remote sensing data in cooperation with big data processing and deep fusion learning techniques provides a new approach for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration [...

Kinetics Analysis of CO2 Mineral Carbonation Using Byproduct Red Gypsum

In this study, a simplified model was proposed for CO2 mineral carbonation of red gypsum. The model was based on the PHREEQC-2.18 program, which is used for thermodynamic calculations. Test experiments in an aqueous carbonation reactor were used as reference (Rahmani, O.; Junin, R.; Tyrer, M.; Mohsin, R.Mineral carbonation of red gypsum for CO2 sequestration. Energy Fuels 2014, 28, 5953−5958 and Rahmani, O.; Tyrer, M.; Junin, R.Calcite precipitation from by-product red gypsum in aqueous carbonation process. RSC Adv. 2014, 4, 45548–45557) to verify the model, evaluate the possibility of implementing reactions, and predict the reaction progress over time. At the first step, the model thermodynamic constants and rate expressions were initially determined from experiments in an autoclave mini reactor. These parameters were then included in the model, and their quality was tested by comparing experimental and modeled data in the CO2 mineral carbonation of red gypsum. The evaluated model should prove valuable not only in applications of in situ or ex situ CO2 sequestration but more generally in computational geoscience

Use of olivine for carbon dioxide mineral sequestration

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has been increased utilizing energy from industry process. It is environmentally important to mitigate atmospheric CO2 emissions. To reduce CO2 emissions, the sequestration of CO2 is an alternative method. For this purpose, CO2 mineral carbonation was conducted utilizing olivine mineral (MgSiO4) at various sizes and temperatures. The reaction rate was increased with increasing the temperature and pressure; therefore, CO2 is highly sequestrated. The use of thermal process in three neck flush, optimum temperature of olivine carbonation was observed. To accelerate mineral carbonation process and extract the reactive component, hydrochloric acid (HCl) was used. The size reduction of olivine into 40, 100, and 250 μm was generated utilizing grinder and sieve machines in order to investigate the effect of increasing surface area on carbonation rate. As conclusion, by increasing the temperature of reaction and reducing size of olivine, the carbonation rate of olivine mineral was increased

Correction: Rahmani, O., et al. Experimental Investigation and Simplistic Geochemical Modeling of CO2 Mineral Carbonation Using the Mount Tawai Peridotite. Molecules 2016, 21, 353

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Potential for CO2 Mineral Carbonation in the Paleogene Segamat Basalt of Malaysia

Geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) requires the host rock to have the capacity to permanently store CO2 with minimum post-storage monitoring. Mineral carbonation in geological formations is one of the most promising approaches to CO2 storage as the captured CO2 is converted into stable carbonated minerals (e.g., calcite and magnesite). In this study, we investigated the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of Segamat basalt in the Central Belt of Malaysia and evaluated its potential for mineral carbonation by using laboratory analyses of X–ray fluorescence (XRF), X–ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and petrographic study. The XRF results showed that Segamat basalt samples contain a number of elements such as Fe (21.81–23.80 wt.%), Ca (15.40–20.83 wt.%), and Mg (3.43–5.36 wt.%) that can react with CO2 to form stable carbonated minerals. The XRD and petrographic results indicated that Segamat basalt contains the reactive mineral groups of pyroxene and olivine, which are suitable for the mineral carbonation process. The results of this study could help to identify the spatial distribution of elements and minerals in the Segamat basalt and to assess its mineral carbonation potential for geological storage in Malaysia

Depositional Environment and Hydrocarbon Distribution in the Silurian–Devonian Black Shales of Western Peninsular Malaysia Using Spectroscopic Characterization

The present study aimed to evaluate the hydrocarbon functional groups, aromaticity degree, and depositional environment in the Silurian–Devonian Kroh black shales of western peninsular Malaysia. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to measure the hydrocarbon functional groups in the sedimentary succession and associated organic matter of the black shale samples. The results showed that aromatic C=C stretching, aromatic C-H out-of-plane, aromatic C-H in-plane, and aliphatic =C–H bending are the major hydrocarbon functional groups in the Kroh shales. Also, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) was used to evaluate the type of humic substance and analyze the sample extract ratios of E4/E6. It was revealed that the methanol-treated Kroh shale samples ranged from 0.00048 to 0.12 for E4 and 0.0040 to 0.99 for E6. The lower E4/E6 ratio (>5) indicates the dominance of humic acid over fulvic acid in the Kroh shales. The Kroh shale samples’ total organic carbon content (TOC) ranges from 0.33 to 8.5 wt.%, analyzed by a multi-N/C 3100 TOC/TNb analyzer. The comparison study revealed that the TOC content of the Kroh shale has close obtainable values for the Montney shales of Canada. Furthermore, both hydrocarbon functional groups from FTIR, and the E4/E6 ratio from UV-Vis show no correlation with TOC content. It is revealed that humic acid, aromatic, and aliphatic hydrocarbons are not the controlling factors of the enrichment of organic matter in the Kroh shales. Conversely, a positive correlation between aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in the Kroh shales indicated that organic matter is thermally overmatured. The presence of humic acid and enrichment of aromatic hydrocarbons in the Kroh shales demonstrated that the organic matter in these shales contains plant-derived hydrophilic minerals, i.e., terrestrial in origin. These findings may provide clues on the depositional and thermal maturation of organic matter for the exploration efforts into the pre-Tertiary sedimentary successions of the peninsular