Permanent carbon dioxide storage in deep-sea sediments.

Stabilizing the concentration of atmospheric CO(2) may require storing enormous quantities of captured anthropogenic CO(2) in near-permanent geologic reservoirs. Because of the subsurface temperature profile of terrestrial storage sites, CO(2) stored in these reservoirs is buoyant. As a result, a portion of the injected CO(2) can escape if the reservoir is not appropriately sealed. We show that injecting CO(2) into deep-sea sediments below [corrected] 3,000-m water depth and a few hundred meters of sediment provides permanent geologic storage even with large geomechanical perturbations. At the high pressures and low temperatures common in deep-sea sediments, CO(2) resides in its liquid phase and can be denser than the overlying pore fluid, causing the injected CO(2) to be gravitationally stable. Additionally, CO(2) hydrate formation will impede the flow of CO(2)(l) and serve as a second cap on the system. The evolution of the CO(2) plume is described qualitatively from the injection to the formation of CO(2) hydrates and finally to the dilution of the CO(2)(aq) solution by diffusion. If calcareous sediments are chosen, then the dissolution of carbonate host rock by the CO(2)(aq) solution will slightly increase porosity, which may cause large increases in permeability. Karst formation, however, is unlikely because total dissolution is limited to only a few percent of the rock volume. The total CO(2) storage capacity within the 200-mile economic zone of the U.S. coastline is enormous, capable of storing thousands of years of current U.S. CO(2) emissions.