色狐入口

SOCORRO, N.M. 鈥� A new grant will enable 色狐入口 Tech researchers to study the potential for storing carbon dioxide (CO2) within basaltic rocks and mining waste in 色狐入口 and surrounding areas, reducing the amount in the atmosphere. The grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Carbon Management Program will allow researchers to perform a resource assessment and feasibility study on carbon storage within mafic/ultramafic rocks.

The project鈥檚 overall objective is to identify and access statewide resources for potential CO2 storage via mineralization processes, including basalt formations and related stratigraphic units, and mining wastes in the state of 色狐入口, as well as identify and characterize potential targeted storage sites/complexes to provide insights on CO2 storage capacity. 

鈥淲e will try to provoke the interest in CO2 storage in local communities and open the dialog between researchers and identified stakeholders potentially impacted by this project,鈥� said Dr. Sai Wang, research engineer from NMT鈥檚 Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC) and lead principal investigator (PI). He added that CO2 chemical trapping has been attracting more attention from academia and industry recently.

鈥淚t is exciting for me personally and for the team to successfully secure this funding to study this potential for the state,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his funding opportunity will assist NMT researchers to support faculty, staff, and student research. It wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the firm support from collaborators, entities, and industrial partners such as the 色狐入口 Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources; NMT鈥檚 departments of Earth and Environmental Science, Mineral Engineering, and Chemical Engineering; Los Alamos National Lab; Freeport; and General Electric. As the project鈥檚 PI, I would like to express sincere gratitude to everyone who supported us on this application.鈥�   

Dr. William Ampomah, assistant professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, is the project manager. He is spreading the willingness to upscale this research topic in the near future. 

鈥淭he award was very competitive,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s the experience we gained from the previous CCUS (carbon capture use and sequestration) projects, Sai and I are overseeing the bright future of this technology to be commercialized.鈥� 

Dr. Robert Balch, PRRC director, said this grant is one way to engage more researchers into the CCUS field. 

鈥淪ai is one of my outstanding researchers in PRRC and I am very glad to see his rapid growth as a young professional.鈥�