Geological carbon dioxide sequestration

A key means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels is to separate and concentrate CO2 from large point sources and inject it underground. The injection process, so-called geological carbon sequestration, uses off-the-shelf technology from the hydrocarbon industry and can be deployed at a useful scale. Widespread deployment will require a greater understanding of processes that trap CO2 underground, improved means of monitoring the injection stream, and a small number of large-scale experiments in settings with the most important representative geology. If successful, geological sequestration could greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while we continue to benefit from fossil fuels until true alternatives emerge.