Carbon sequestration via aqueous olivine mineral carbonation: role of passivating layer formation.

CO2 sequestration via carbonation of widely available low-cost minerals, such as olivine, can permanently dispose of CO2 in an environmentally benign and a geologically stable form. We report the results of studies of the mechanisms that limit aqueous olivine carbonation reactivity under the optimum sequestration reaction conditions observed to date: 1 M NaCl + 0.64 M NaHCO3 at Te 185 degrees C and P(CO2) approximately equal to 135 bar.