Carbon Storage Potential of North American Oil & Gas Produced Water Injection with Surface Dissolution

Carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage traditionally involves capturing a CO2 stream from a point source such as a power station or from cement, steel, or natural gas processing plant, transporting it and compressing it, prior to injection as a supercritical phase into a suitable geological reservoir overlain by a cap-rock or seal. One of the main perceived risks in CO2 geological storage is migration or leakage of the buoyant CO2 stream through the seal, via faults or fractures, or other migration out of the storage complex. Injection of CO2 dissolved in water may be one solution to mitigate the leakage risk. This approach could take advantage of large volumes of wastewater already being reinjected into saline aquifers worldwide but particularly in North America, thus reducing costs. This study examines the potential to piggyback off the existing wastewater injection industry as a novel carbon storage option.

Automated summary

The study examines the potential of using CO2 dissolved in water injection as a method to mitigate the risk of geological storage, combined with the possibility of piggybacking off the existing wastewater injection industry as a novel carbon storage option, to reduce costs.