• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2005

Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) is the greatest contributor among the major greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore, substantial efforts for the control and reduction of $CO_2$ emissions, including increased efficiency of fossil fuel energy usage, development of energy sources with lower carbon content, and increased reliability on alternative energy sources, are being performed worldwide. However, development and industrial application of $CO_2$ sequestration techniques are needed to meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. Among the $CO_2$ sequestration methods developed, geological sequestration methods such as the storage in deep aquifers, deep coal seams and oil and gas reservoirs and the mineral carbonation is considered most favorable because of its stability and environmental effectiveness. In this review, geochemical concepts and technologic development of geologic sequestration technology, especially the storage in deep aquifers and the mineral carbonation, are discussed. The weakness and strengths for each of geologic sequestration methods, are also reviewed.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.16-19
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• 2009

Recently, CO2 geologic storage (geologic sequestration) has been concerned as one of methodologies for reducing greenhouse gas. We expect that geophysical approach plays an important role in the site selection, characterization, and monitoring during CO2 injection or post-injection. Especially we believe that monitoring and verification technologies such as surface and borehole geophysical methods are an important part of making CO2 geologic storage an acceptable method.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.9-22
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• 2012

Though geologic storage of $CO_2$ (GS) is considered as an attractive technological option to enormously reduce greenhouse gases emission into the atmosphere, many concerns on potential environmental and health risks associated with $CO_2$ leakage have been raised. In particular, groundwater contamination due to the brine displacement by a pressure build-up and the acidification by leaked $CO_2$ is paid a special attention. Therefore, integrated regulatory frameworks have been established by law in many countries to secure the permanent containment of injected $CO_2$. Regulatory frameworks deal with entire processes of GS, including site selection, monitoring and post-closure environmental management. This review paper provides a summary of regulatory frameworks in USA (U.S. EPA Geologic Sequestration Rule) and EU (Geologic $CO_2$ Sequestration Directive). The regulatory framework to properly address environmental issues should be established for the deployment of CCS projects in Korea.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2017

As global warming became a worldwide issue, a significant effort has been made on the development of technology related to $CO_2$ capture and storage. Geologic sequestration of $CO_2$ is one of those technologies for safe disposal of $CO_2$. Geologic sequestration stores $CO_2$ in the form of supercritical fluid into the underground site surrounded by solid rock, and concrete is used for prevention of $CO_2$ leakage into the atmosphere. In such case, concrete may experience severe damage by attack of supercritical $CO_2$, and especially in contact with underground water, very aggressive form of carbonation can occur. In this work, to prevent such deterioration in concrete, calcium phosphates were added to the portland cement to produce hydroxyapatite, one of the most stable mineral in the world. Temperature rise, viscosity, set and stiffening, and strength development of cement paste incorporating three different types of calcium phosphates were investigated. According to the results, it was found that the addition of calcium phosphate increased apparent viscosity, but decreased maximum temperature rise and 28 day compressive strength. It was found that monocalcium phosphate was found to be inappropriate for portland cement based material. Applicability of dicalcium and tricalcium phosphates for portland cement needs to be evaluated with further investigation, including the long term compressive strength development.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.451-461
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• 2005

The $CO_2$ storage in geologic and oceanic reservoirs is considered to be one of the carbon management strategies for responding to global climate change. Ocean carbon sequestration is purposeful storage acceleration into the ocean of large amounts of carbon that would accumulate in the atmosphere and naturally enter the ocean over a longer timespan. Some technologies for $CO_2$ ocean sequestrations have been developed as a nation project. However, $CO_2$ ocean sequestrations are attractive because they have the advantage of vast capacity sequestration far away from industrial areas, and offer easier monitoring whereas less economic advantage has been indicated as one of the key barriers compared with $CO_2$ geosphere sequestration, which is produced as a byproduct. In this paper, a conceptual design for $CO_2$ ocean sequestration is introduced, and the preliminary examination is described. As a result, the $CO_2$ price, US$ 24/t shows far away from the economics. The causes come from the expensive $CO_2$ recovery cost and the low $CO_2$ price. The expensive $CO_2$ recovery cost is because too much electricity and water are consumed. In order to look for an economic balance point for $CO_2$ ocean sequestration, NPV=0, it is increases the $CO_2$ price. Finally 60.4$ per ton is found to be the balance price.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 2014

In order to increase the integrity of the wellbore which is used to prevent the leakage of supercritical $CO_2$, it is necessary to develop a concrete that is strongly resistant to carbonation. In an environment where the concentration of $CO_2$ is exceptionally high, $Ca^{2+}$ ion concentration in pore solution of Portland cement concrete will drop significantly due to the rapid consumption of calcium hydroxide, which decreases the stability of the calcium silicate hydrate. In this research, calcium phosphates were used to modify Portland cement system in order to produce hydroxyapatite, a hydration product that is strongly resistant to carbonation under such an environment. According to the experimental results, calcium phosphates reacted with Portland cement to form hydroxyapatite. The formation of hydroxyapatite was verified using X-ray diffraction analyses with selective extraction techniques. When using dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and tricalcium phosphate, the 28-day compressive strength was lower than that of plain cement paste. However, the specimen with monocalcium phosphate monohydrate showed equivalent strength to that of plain cement paste.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.301-312
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• 2017

The concept of deep borehole disposal (DBD) for high-level nuclear wastes has been around for about 40 years. Now, the Department of Energy (DOE) in the United States (U.S.) is re-examining this concept through recent studies at Sandia National Laboratory and a field test. With DBD, nuclear waste will be emplaced in boreholes at depths of 3 to 5 km in crystalline basement rocks. Thinking is that these settings will provide nearly intact rock and fluid density stratification, which together should act as a robust geologic barrier, requiring only minimal performance from the engineered components. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) has raised concerns that the deep subsurface is more complicated, leading to science, engineering, and safety issues. However, given time and resources, DBD will evolve substantially in the ability to drill deep holes and make measurements there. A leap forward in technology for drilling could lead to other exciting geological applications. Possible innovations might include deep robotic mining, deep energy production, or crustal sequestration of $CO_2$, and new ideas for nuclear waste disposal. Novel technologies could be explored by Korean geologists through simple proof-of-concept experiments and technology demonstrations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.307-319
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• 2009

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology has been regarded as one of the most possible and practical option to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and consequently to mitigate the climate change. Korean government also have started a 10-year R&D project on $CO_2$ storage in sea-bed geological structure including gas field and deep saline aquifer since 2005. Various relevant researches are carried out to cover the initial survey of suitable geological structure storage site, monitoring of the stored $CO_2$ behavior, basic design of $CO_2$ transport and storage process and the risk assessment and management related to $CO_2$ leakage from engineered and geological processes. Leakage of $CO_2$ to the marine environment can change the chemistry of seawater including the pH and carbonate composition and also influence adversely on the diverse living organisms in ecosystems. Recently, IMO (International Maritime Organization) have developed the risk assessment and management framework for the $CO_2$ sequestration in sub-seabed geological structures (CS-SSGS) and considered the sequestration as a waste management option to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This framework for CS-SSGS aims to provide generic guidance to the Contracting Parties to the London Convention and Protocol, in order to characterize the risks to the marine environment from CS-SSGS on a site-specific basis and also to collect the necessary information to develop a management strategy to address uncertainties and any residual risks. The environmental risk assessment (ERA) plan for $CO_2$ storage work should include site selection and characterization, exposure assessment with probable leak scenario, risk assessment from direct and in-direct impact to the living organisms and risk management strategy. Domestic trial of the $CO_2$ capture and sequestration in to the marine geologic formation also should be accomplished through risk management with specified ERA approaches based on the IMO framework. The risk assessment procedure for $CO_2$ marine storage should contain the following components; 1) prediction of leakage probabilities with the reliable leakage scenarios from both engineered and geological part, 2) understanding on physio-chemical fate of $CO_2$ in marine environment especially for the candidate sites, 3) exposure assessment methods for various receptors in marine environments, 4) database production on the toxic effect of $CO_2$ to the ecologically and economically important species, and finally 5) development of surveillance procedures on the environmental changes with adequate monitoring techniques.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.24-35
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• 2019

It is known that ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ (carbon-13 isotope of dissolved inorganic carbonate (DIC) ions) of water increases when dissolved $CO_2$ degases. However, ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ could decrease when the pH of water is lower than 5.5 at the early stage of degassing. Laboratory experiments were performed to observe the changes of ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ as $CO_2$ degassed from three different artificial $CO_2$-rich waters (ACWs) in which the initial pH was 4.9, 5.4, and 6.4, respectively. The pH, alkalinity and ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ were measured until 240 hours after degassing began and those data were compared with kinetic isotope fractionation calculations. Furthermore, same experiment was conducted with the natural $CO_2$-rich water (pH 4.9) from Daepyeong, Sejong City. As a result of experiments, we could observe the decrease of DIC and increase of pH as the degassing progressed. ACW with an initial pH of 6.4, ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ kept increasing but, in cases where the initial pH was lower than 5.5, ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ decreased until 6 hours. After 6 hours ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ increased within all cases because the $CO_2$ degassing caused pH increase and subsequently the ratio of $HCO_3{^-}$ in solution. In the early stage of $CO_2$ degassing, the laboratory measurements were well matched with the calculations, but after about 48 hours, the experiment results were deviated from the calculations, probably due to the equilibrium interaction with the atmosphere and precipitation of carbonates. The result of this study may be not applicable to all natural environments because the pressure and $CO_2$ concentration in headspace of reaction vessels was not maintained constant as well as the temperature. Nevertheless, this study provides fundamental knowledge on the ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ evolution during $CO_2$ degassing, and therefore it can be utilized in the studies about carbonated water with low pH and the monitoring of geologic carbon sequestration.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.643-659
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• 2022

Geologic sequestration technologies such as CCS (carbon capture and storage), EGS (enhanced geothermal systems), and EOR (enhanced oil recovery) have been widely implemented in recent years, prompting evaluation of the mechanical stability of storage sites. As fluid injection can stimulate mechanical instability in storage layers by perturbing the stress state and pore pressure, poroelastic models considering various injection scenarios are required. In this study, we calculate the pore pressure, stress distribution, and vertical displacement along a surface using commercial finite element software (COMSOL); fault slips are subsequently simulated using PyLith, an open-source finite element software. The displacement fields, are obtained from PyLith is transferred back to COMSOL to determine changes in coseismic stresses and surface displacements. Our sequential use of COMSOL-PyLith-COMSOL for poroelastic modeling of fluid-injection and induced-earthquakes reveals large variations of pore pressure, vertical displacement, and Coulomb failure stress change during injection periods. On the other hand, the residual stress diffuses into the remote field after injection stops. This flow pattern suggests the necessity of numerical modeling and long-term monitoring, even after injection has stopped. We found that the time at which the Coulomb failure stress reaches the critical point greatly varies with the hydraulic and poroelastic properties (e.g., permeability and Biot-Willis coefficient) of the fault and injection layer. We suggest that an understanding of the detailed physical properties of the surrounding layer is important in selecting the injection site. Our numerical results showing the surface displacement and deviatoric stress distribution with different amounts of fault slip highlight the need to test more variable fault slip scenarios.