Authors: Eli Buran, Connor Rohde, Brigid Pettit

Mentors: Prajukti Bhattacharyya, Ozgur Yavuzcetin

Many ecosystems can only survive in a very slim temperature range, but our increased use of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, change global temperature significantly. This results in those ecosystems dying off, like coral reefs for example. Iceland currently has one of the largest carbon capture plants in the world. They have implemented a way to take CO2 from the atmosphere and pump it underground.

The research question we will be answering with our project relates to CO2 capture. We will be exploring how CO2 can be contained within bedrock through multiple experiments and observation of basalt samples.

We collected olivine and basalt samples from the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland. The collected samples were micronized and analyzed with a powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) Before being exposed to dissolved carbon dioxide.

Preliminary results show no change in mineralization after 31 days. This is unsurprising, as a study published by researchers in Iceland showed significant mineralization after running experiments for upwards of 140 days.

Future steps include letting the two existing samples continue to react with the carbonated water, as well as running an additional experiment. This setup is designed to continually measure pH and CO2 levels in a closed system. We will also use a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to look for any changes on the sample surfaces before and after this setup. This experiment will attempt to minimize human error while collecting as much data as possible that would indicate mineralization.

The contributing factor of our research would be assisting in ways to lessen climate change. As we know CO2 is a greenhouse gas which largely contributes to the warming of the earth. With scientists discovering new ways to contain CO2, we have the potential to slow global warming.