A recent study has revealed the potential of an extinct volcano off the coast of Portugal to serve as a significant carbon dioxide storage site.
The volcano, known as Fontanelas, could hold between 1.2 and 8.6 gigatons of CO2, equivalent to 24 to 125 years of the country’s industrial emissions. This storage method, called “in situ mineral carbonization,” involves injecting CO2 captured from the atmosphere deep underground. Within the volcanic structure, calcium, magnesium, and iron react with the incoming carbon dioxide, forming calcite, dolomite, and magnesite, effectively trapping the CO2 in a permanent geological formation.
The researchers suggest that other undersea volcanoes worldwide could serve as CO2 storage sites, expanding the possibilities for utilizing this approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.