The Cedars-analog for Mars in N Cal Coast Ranges

Serpentinites offer a highly reactive feedstock for carbonation reactions and the capacity to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) on a global scale. CO2 can be sequestered in mined serpentinite using high-temperature carbonation reactors, by carbonating alkaline mine wastes, or by subsurface reaction through CO2 injection into serpentinite-hosted aquifers and serpentinized peridotites. Natural analogues to serpentinite carbonation, such as exhumed hydrothermal systems, alkaline travertines, and hydromagnesite–magnesite playas, provide insights into geochemical controls on carbonation rates that can guide industrial CO2 sequestration. The upscaling of existing technologies that accelerate serpentinite carbonation may prove sufficient for offsetting local industrial emissions, but global-scale implementation will require considerable incentives and further research and development.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration includes a portfolio of technologies that can potentially sequester billions of tonnes of CO2 per year. Mineral carbonation (MC) is emerging as a potential CCS technology solution to sequester CO2 from smaller/medium emitters, where geological sequestration is not a viable option. In MC processes, CO2 is chemically reacted with calcium- and/or magnesium-containing materials to form stable carbonates. This work investigates the current advancement in the proposed MC technologies and the role they can play in decreasing the overall cost of this CO2 sequestration route. In situ mineral carbonation is a very promising option in terms of resources available and enhanced security, but the technology is still in its infancy and transport and storage costs are still higher than geological storage in sedimentary basins ($17 instead of $8 per tCO2). Ex situ mineral carbonation has been demonstrated on pilot and demonstration scales. However, its application is currently limited by its high costs, which range from $50 to $300 per tCO2 sequestered. Energy use, the reaction rate and material handling are the key factors hindering the success of this technology. The value of the products seems central to render MC economically viable in the same way as conventional CCS seems profitable only when combined with EOR. Large scale projects such as the Skyonic process can help in reducing the knowledge gaps on MC fundamentals and provide accurate costing and data on processes integration and comparison. The literature to date indicates that in the coming decades MC can play an important role in decarbonising the power and industrial sector

most soils derived from serpentinite tend to be highly infertile because of their extremely high levels of magnesium, chromium and nickel, low concentrations of nutrients such as calcium and nitrogen, and low water-holding capacity.

Nili Fossae is a graben system on Mars, northeast of the Syrtis Major volcanic province, on the northwestern edge of the giant Isidis impact basin. Some of these incisions into the martian crust are up to 500 m deep and probably formed at the same time as the basin. The High-Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express took this image. These perspective views have been calculated from the Digital Terrain Model derived from the stereo channels.