Southern Africa is characterised by unusually elevated topography and abnormal heat flow. This can be explained by thermal perturbation of the mantle, but the origin of this is unclear. Geophysics has not detected a thermal anomaly in the upper mantle and there is no geochemical evidence of an asthenosphere mantle contribution to the Cenozoic volcanic record of the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon capture and storage (CCS) can help nations meet their Paris CO reduction commitments cost-effectively. However, lack of confidence in geologic CO storage security remains a barrier to CCS implementation. Here we present a numerical program that calculates CO storage security and leakage to the atmosphere over 10,000 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhilos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
May 2018
How will the global atmosphere and climate be protected? Achieving net-zero CO emissions will require carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce current GHG emission rates, and negative emissions technology (NET) to recapture previously emitted greenhouse gases. Delivering NET requires radical cost and regulatory innovation to impact on climate mitigation. Present NET exemplars are few, are at small-scale and not deployable within a decade, with the exception of rock weathering, or direct injection of CO into selected ocean water masses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInherent tracers-the "natural" isotopic and trace gas composition of captured CO2 streams-are potentially powerful tracers for use in CCS technology. This review outlines for the first time the expected carbon isotope and noble gas compositions of captured CO2 streams from a range of feedstocks, CO2-generating processes, and carbon capture techniques. The C-isotope composition of captured CO2 will be most strongly controlled by the feedstock, but significant isotope fractionation is possible during capture; noble gas concentrations will be controlled by the capture technique employed.
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