The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - January 26, 2024
Brucite is a mineral often associated with nickel deposits that react with carbon dioxide to form magnesium carbonate, a mineral that stores CO2 for geological scales of time.
Click on image for larger diagrams of CO2 Lock's in-situ and ex-situ carbon dioxide mineralization concepts.
As mining companies around the world endeavor to meet the rocketing demand for minerals needed to build the clean energy infrastructure to slow global warming, CO2 Lock Corp. is racing to put minerals back into the ground for the same purpose.
CO2 Lock was formed by FPX Nickel Corp. in 2022 as a clean technology startup focused on carrying forward research into transforming atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbonate minerals that could be stored for geological epochs.
"We launched this business to solve global problems at scale by applying our decades of geological and engineering expertise to the biggest challenge we face," said David Molinski, CEO and director of CO2 Lock.
Toward this lofty goal, the company completed the first injection of carbonated water into one of its British Columbia properties enriched with brucite, a magnesium mineral that is particularly good at absorbing CO2 and transforming it into a solid magnesium carbonate that is stable on a geological timescale.
"This successful field program represents a pivotal step for CO2 Lock and reinforces our dedication to developing sustainable solutions for permanent carbon storage," said CO2 Lock Chief Technology Officer Nader Mosavat.
The whole concept of using brucite to crystalize CO2 was born out of the need to produce massive quantities of nickel for the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy.
Astute geological scientists in British Columbia and elsewhere realized that nickel is often found in ultramafic (a type of volcanic) rock that also contains minerals that transform CO2 into carbonate rock.
This carbon rock-forming ability, however, is underutilized when the CO2 does not have a chance to encounter the minerals in the ultramafic rocks.
It was recognized that mining, crushing, and processing ultramafic rocks to extract the nickel creates a scenario where carbon mineralization can take place, which would offset a large portion of CO2 emissions related to producing the battery metal.
FPX Nickel's Baptiste project in British Columbia happens to host a large ultramafic nickel-cobalt deposit enriched with CO2-absorbing minerals.
After several years of studying the benefits of capturing CO2 as part of future mining of the Baptiste nickel-cobalt project, FPX decided to form CO2 Lock as a subsidiary focused solely on pursuing low-cost and permanent carbon capture and storage at scale.
"Since 2016, FPX has played a leading role in applying fundamental science to evaluate the potential for large-scale permanent CCS in brucite-rich serpentinized peridotites, and we expect the launch of CO2 Lock to greatly accelerate those efforts going forward," FPX President and CEO Martin Turenne said upon the 2022 launch of the clean tech startup.
To carry forward the carbon capture and storage research started by FPX, CO2 Lock acquired the SAM property, which hosts one of several ultramafic bodies identified by the BC Geological Survey along a 725-kilometer (450 miles) trend that runs from the Decar Nickel District where Baptiste is found to Giga Metal Corp.'s Turnagain nickel project in Northern BC.
During 2023, CO2 Lock carried out an extensive field program to better understand the geology and mineralization at SAM and to begin analysis of the best method to get CO2 into contact with the brucite so that it can be locked away forever.
Highlights from CO2 Lock's first field program include:
• Geological analysis confirms that the SAM deposit has brucite values that are three times higher than other projects in the Decar Nickel District, from which CO2 Lock's foundation research was conducted.
• Successful injection of carbonated water. CO2 Lock says downhole sensors verified the desired CO2 content throughout the injection, bolstering the company's confidence in the effectiveness of its groundbreaking in-ground carbon capture approach.
• Extraction of multi-ton surface bulk sample for a pilot of ex-situ CO2 mineralization, which involves either naturally or industrially mineralizing CO2 in extracted rock, to be carried out at CO2 Lock's lab facility near Vancouver, BC.
"The promising geological analysis and successful demonstration of the CO2 injection into our SAM deposit highlight the very significant potential of our in-situ CO2 mineralization technologies to play a crucial role in mitigating carbon emissions," said Mosavat. "The bulk sample, with similarly high brucite concentration, will be used to advance the company's groundbreaking work on ex-situ CO2 mineralization."
Looking to rapidly advance its technology and expand its impact on carbon capture and storage initiatives, CO2 Lock plans to have technical, economic, and life cycle analysis completed for both in-situ and ex-situ mineralization completed by mid-year.
This work could crystalize the locking up of CO2 into brucite-rich ultramafic deposits as a bedrock option for permanent carbon capture and storage.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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