{"id":790,"date":"2026-09-23T18:51:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/?p=790"},"modified":"2026-09-25T11:49:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T01:49:05","slug":"from-co%e2%82%82-to-stone-transforming-carbon-storage-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/from-co%e2%82%82-to-stone-transforming-carbon-storage-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"From CO\u2082 to stone: Australia&#8217;s distinctive geology demands a fundamentally different approach."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CSIRO researchers are working on carbon storage that permanently converts CO\u2082 into solid minerals underground, eliminating the risk of gas leakage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Australia\u2019s distinctive geology offers real potential for this technology, but demands a fundamentally different approach to those that have worked elsewhere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By building the site-specific evidence base, CSIRO is moving in-situ carbon mineralisation from laboratory proof-of-concept towards Australian field deployment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/services\/page\/a2828b3257a193a24a\/\"><em>Matthew Coomber<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conventional carbon storage injects CO\u2082 deep underground and relies on pressure and geology to keep it there. The problem is that physical containment has a fundamental limitation: injected CO\u2082 whether a gas or a supercritical fluid, is naturally buoyant. If there is a leak, or a seal fails, it can migrate upward and escape containment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.csiro.au\/e\/l\/lionel-esteban\">Dr Lionel Esteban<\/a>, Principal Petrophysicist with CSIRO Energy\u2019s Rock Properties team, is working on an entirely different approach \u2013 in-situ carbon mineralisation. The process involves dissolving CO\u2082 in water, injecting the solution into reactive volcanic rocks, and letting geochemistry do the rest. The CO\u2082 reacts with the rock to form stable solid carbonate minerals. It doesn\u2019t just get stored; it turns to stone.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large nba-caption-filter transcript__wrapper\"><div class=\"transcript__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"987\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-987x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-987x1024.jpg 987w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-289x300.jpg 289w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-768x797.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-1480x1536.jpg 1480w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-1973x2048.jpg 1973w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-1041x1080.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-578x600.jpg 578w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-241x250.jpg 241w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-434x450.jpg 434w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-723x750.jpg 723w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-247x256.jpg 247w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-370x384.jpg 370w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-493x512.jpg 493w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-740x768.jpg 740w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-96x100.jpg 96w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-145x150.jpg 145w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lionel-Esteban_CSIROlab_cropped-337x350.jpg 337w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 987px) 100vw, 987px\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"transcript__info\"><div class=\"transcript__caption\"><div class=\"transcript__caption-text\"><p>Dr Esteban\u2019s e-poster at GHGT-18 is: <em>Experimental quantification of in-situ induced carbon mineralisation in Australian ultramafic formations with contrasting mineralogy.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe mineralisation approach changes the nature of the storage problem,\u201d Esteban says. \u201cYou are not trying to manage a buoyant plume of CO\u2082 indefinitely. You are converting it into a solid that is effectively permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you inject CO\u2082 dissolved in water, there is no buoyancy problem. The water stays wherever you put it. You don\u2019t need caprock to prevent escape, the CO\u2082 simply remains where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Harder than it sounds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">15,000 kilometres away on the other side of the world, Iceland has proved the concept works. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbfix.com\/\">CarbFix<\/a> project injected CO\u2082-saturated water into highly permeable basalt formations, and reported mineralisation within two years. The country\u2019s fresh volcanic geological setting made it almost straightforward and the work there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbfix.com\/newsmedia\/carbfix-technology-achieves-99.6-capture-efficienc\">progressing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Australian conditions are another matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn Iceland they have permeable basalt, abundant water, and geothermal heat. In Australia we have the opposite \u2013 tight formations, limited water, and low temperatures at shallow depth,\u201d says Esteban. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a copy-paste job. We have to think smart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rocks with the right mineralogy for carbonation, like serpentinites, dunites and olivine-bearing formations, have been so extensively modified over geological time that predicting how they will react is genuinely difficult. A billion years of fluid flow has altered mineralogy, blocked pore networks, and left formations that look promising on paper but behave unpredictably in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esteban\u2019s lab work is directly addressing this. His team floods core samples of Australian ultramafic rocks under conditions that simulate shallow reservoirs \u2013 typically around 500m deep with 50 bar pressure, 60\u00b0C temperature \u2013 then tracks what happens using imaging, geochemical analysis and petrophysical measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What they have found has revised some earlier assumptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cracks and pores that you might expect to govern fluid penetration have proven not to be the main control on whether mineralisation succeeds. Mineralogy matters more, specifically the mineral composition of the formation and how far it has already been altered by hydration. Temperature is also critical: higher temperatures lower the kinetic barriers to reaction, improving ion mobility and helping reactive minerals to dissolve. At the cool shallow depths CSIRO is targeting, that kinetic drag must be taken into design consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The upshot is that carbon mineralisation in Australia will not be a one-size-fits-all technology. Every site needs what Esteban calls a tailored mineralisation recipe \u2013 a specific combination of fluid chemistry, pressure, temperature and injection strategy matched to that site\u2019s geology.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium nba-caption-filter transcript__wrapper\"><div class=\"transcript__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-233x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-233x300.jpg 233w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-797x1024.jpg 797w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-768x987.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-1195x1536.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-1594x2048.jpg 1594w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-841x1080.jpg 841w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-467x600.jpg 467w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-195x250.jpg 195w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-350x450.jpg 350w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-584x750.jpg 584w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-199x256.jpg 199w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-299x384.jpg 299w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-398x512.jpg 398w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-598x768.jpg 598w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-78x100.jpg 78w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-117x150.jpg 117w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-272x350.jpg 272w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/CSIRO-5756-scaled.jpg 1992w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"transcript__info\"><div class=\"transcript__caption\"><div class=\"transcript__caption-text\"><p>Dr Mihaela Grigore\u2019s e-poster at GHGT-18 is: <em>In situ carbon mineralisation of Australian volcanic rocks<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Three paths to build the evidence base<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esteban\u2019s experiments are one part of a coordinated effort across CSIRO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His colleague, Senior Research Scientist, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.csiro.au\/g\/m\/mihaela-grigore\">Dr Mihaela Grigore<\/a> works at a finer scale, using neutron scattering rather than conventional imaging to follow fluid movement and reaction at the level of individual pores and mineral grain boundaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where Esteban measures bulk behaviour across a sample, Grigore maps the exact pathways fluids travel, where reactions begin, and why certain microstructures help mineralisation along while others inhibit it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This granular picture is helping the team make sense of what the bulk experiments show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf mineralisation takes ten years in real rock, the techno-economics simply don\u2019t work. Reaction speed is one of the critical unknowns we\u2019re working to resolve,\u201d says Esteban.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large nba-caption-filter transcript__wrapper\"><div class=\"transcript__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"725\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-1024x725.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-1024x725.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-768x543.png 768w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-1536x1087.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-2048x1449.png 2048w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-1526x1080.png 1526w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-600x425.png 600w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-250x177.png 250w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-450x318.png 450w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-750x531.png 750w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-362x256.png 362w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-543x384.png 543w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-724x512.png 724w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-1085x768.png 1085w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-141x100.png 141w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-150x106.png 150w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig1_enhanced_2x_bordered-350x248.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"transcript__info\"><div class=\"transcript__caption\"><div class=\"transcript__caption-text\"><p><em>Assessing carbon mineralisation at pore scale combining neutron scattering and SEM imaging on Australian basalts. Carbonate mineral precipitation is not occurring in existing fractures but in the tight mineral matrix in pore size &lt; 100 nm. Existing fractures act as a conduit to feed the surrounding tight mineral matrix to trigger carbon mineralisation.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.csiro.au\/s\/s\/saeed-salimzadeh\">Dr Saeed Salimzadeh<\/a> is looking at the problem from the other direction: what mineralisation does to the host rock once it begins. <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-medium nba-caption-filter transcript__wrapper\"><div class=\"transcript__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"279\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-279x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-279x300.jpg 279w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-952x1024.jpg 952w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-768x826.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-1428x1536.jpg 1428w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-1905x2048.jpg 1905w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-1004x1080.jpg 1004w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-558x600.jpg 558w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-232x250.jpg 232w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-418x450.jpg 418w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-697x750.jpg 697w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-238x256.jpg 238w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-357x384.jpg 357w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-476x512.jpg 476w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-714x768.jpg 714w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-93x100.jpg 93w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-139x150.jpg 139w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/Lab_Saeed-high-res_cropped-325x350.jpg 325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"transcript__info\"><div class=\"transcript__caption\"><div class=\"transcript__caption-text\"><p>Dr Salimzadeh\u2019s e-poster at GHGT-18: <em>Hydromechanical Effects of Mineral Carbonation in Ultramafic Rocks<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium nba-caption-filter transcript__wrapper\"><div class=\"transcript__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-170x300.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-170x300.png 170w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-580x1024.png 580w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-768x1355.png 768w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-871x1536.png 871w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-1161x2048.png 1161w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-612x1080.png 612w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-340x600.png 340w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-142x250.png 142w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-255x450.png 255w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-425x750.png 425w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-145x256.png 145w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-218x384.png 218w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-290x512.png 290w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-435x768.png 435w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-57x100.png 57w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-85x150.png 85w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-198x350.png 198w, https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/files\/2026\/09\/26-00212_CarbonMineralisation_Fig2_bordered_enhanced_2x-scaled.png 1451w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"transcript__info\"><div class=\"transcript__caption\"><div class=\"transcript__caption-text\"><p><em>In the laboratory, exposure to pressurised CO\u2082-rich water at 100\u00b0C and 160\u00b0C converted the Olivine powder into a consolidated rock, with CO\u2082 trapped as carbonate minerals (white matrix) between residual olivine grains (green). Increased temperature enhanced carbonate formation and reduced porosity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New carbonate minerals change porosity, permeability and mechanical strength, which in turn can directly affect how well fluid can keep moving through the formation \u2013 and whether the site stays viable for years or decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His lab work has produced actual rock from pure Olivine powder by running mineralisation under controlled conditions, giving before-and-after material to test mechanically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Salimzadeh\u2019s hydromechanical modelling connects Esteban\u2019s geochemical findings to the engineering questions mine operators and project developers will need answered before they commit to a site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In short, three lines of work: bulk experimental characterisation, pore scale imaging, and hydromechanical modelling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, they are building a picture of how Australian ultramafic formations respond to CO\u2082-charged fluids across every relevant scale.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Australian edge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia starts from a strong position despite the technical difficulty. The geology is extensive, with mafic and ultramafic geology present in multiple states. CSIRO and Geoscience Australia bring world-class subsurface science capability, and there is an existing CCS infrastructure and regulatory framework to build from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is also a broader point. The conditions that make Australia hard \u2013 scarce water, tight rocks and remote locations \u2013 are precisely those conditions that will constrain carbon mineralisation projects across much of the world. What works here will work elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As international attention on in-situ mineralisation as a high-permanence storage pathway is growing, CSIRO is delivering hard evidence to meet it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn five years, if everything checks out, we should be able to hand industry a blueprint \u2013 this is how to do carbon mineralisation in Australia,\u201d says Esteban.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Carbon mineralisation and hydrogen? Read more here: <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/orange-hydrogen-could-western-australias-rocks-help-power-a-low-carbon-future\/\">Orange hydrogen: Could Western Australia\u2019s rocks help power a low-carbon future? \u2013 CSIRO<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Matthew Coomber\u00a0 Conventional carbon storage injects CO\u2082 deep underground and relies on pressure and geology to keep it there. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":234,"featured_media":813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nba-redirect":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[23,10],"class_list":["post-790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","tag-advances-in-co2-geological-storage","tag-carbon-storage"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CSIRO @ GHGT-18<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.csiro.au\/ghgt-18\/from-co\u2082-to-stone-transforming-carbon-storage-in-australia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From CO\u2082 to stone: Australia&#039;s distinctive geology demands a fundamentally different approach. - CSIRO @ GHGT-18\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matthew Coomber\u00a0 Conventional carbon storage injects CO\u2082 deep underground and relies on pressure and geology to keep it there. 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