Organization Name: Columbia University
Project Title: Chemical and Biological Catalytic Enhancement of Weathering of Silicate Minerals as Novel Carbon Capture and Storage

Columbia University is developing a process to pull CO₂ out of the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants and turn it into a solid that can be easily and safely transported, stored above ground, or integrated into value-added products (e.g. paper filler, plastic filler, construction materials, etc.). In nature, the reaction of CO₂ with various minerals over long periods of time will yield a solid carbonate—this process is known as carbon mineralization. The use of carbon mineralization as a CO₂ capture and storage method is limited by the speeds at which these minerals can be dissolved and CO₂ can be hydrated. To facilitate this, Columbia University is using a unique process and a combination of chemical catalysts which increase the mineral dissolution rate, and the enzymatic catalyst carbonic anhydrase which speeds up the hydration of CO₂.

Project Factsheet (PDF 304KB)

Other Resources
Project Details presented at the 2010 CO2 Capture Technology Meeting in September, 2010

IMPACCT - Projects

• Alliant Techsystems: Supersonic Technology for CO2 Capture
• Codexis: Better Enzymes for Carbon Capture
• Columbia University: Chemically Accelerated Carbon Mineralization
• GE Global Research: CO2 Capture with Liquid-to-Solid Absorbents
• Georgia Tech: Composite Membranes for CO2 Capture
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Metal Organic Framework Research
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: Synthetic Catalysts for CO2 Storage
• MIT: CO2 Capture Using Electrical Energy
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: High-Surface-Area CO2 Sponge
• Research Triangle Institute: CO2 Capture and Regeneration at Low Temperatures
• Sustainable Energy Solutions: Cryogenic Carbon Capture
• Texas A&M University: Stimuli-Responsive Metal Organic Frameworks
• University of Colorado Boulder: Gelled Ionic Liquid-Based Membranes
• University of Kentucky Center for Applied Research: Hybrid Solvent-Membrane CO2 Capture
• University of Notre Dame: Phase-Changing Ionic Liquids