Scientists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have published cautionary research which claims the carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential of the proposed Captain Sandstone site in the Moray Firth in Scotland has been overstated.
The paper, featured in November’s Interpretation, published by the Society of Exploration Geophysics and American Association of Petroleum Geologists, said how the uplift, tilt and resulting fracturing of the UK’s subsurface approximately 55 million years ago, during the Early Cenozoic age, could have dramatic implications for the country’s fledgling Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry.
Professor John Underhill, Chief Scientist at Heriot-Watt University, said many geoscientists, including himself, believe geologic storage of CO2 offers a significant opportunity to arrest greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and reduce our carbon footprint.
He explained, “Previous CO2 storage studies have primarily focused on the use of subsurface reservoirs in depleted oil and gas fields or regionally extensive saline aquifers. Given the perceived scale of the challenge and the amount of CO2 that needs to be sequestered to stabilise or reverse emission levels, the geological focus has largely been on regional saline aquifers because of their lateral continuity, gross rock volume, and large storage capacity.”
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