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Special Issue "Mineral Processes for Climate Change Mitigation"

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A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineralogical Crystallography and Biomineralization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 4802

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ian Power

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Guest Editor

School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 0G2, Canada
Interests: CO₂ sequestration; enhanced weathering; CO₂ mineralization; geochemistry; geomicrobiology; carbonate formation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Carlos Paulo

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Guest Editor

School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 0G2, Canada
Interests: CO2 mineralization, mineral nucleation; mineral dissolution; Raman Spectroscopy; Atomic Force microscopy; organomineralization

Dr. Kwon Rausis

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Guest Editor

School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 0G2, Canada
Interests: mineral carbonation; CO₂ mineralization; enhanced weathering; hydrated carbonates; Raman spectroscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbonate minerals play a crucial role in carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies (CCUS) as these provide a safe storage capacity for carbon dioxide (CO₂) on a geological time scale. CO₂ is fixed as solid carbonate through the reaction with Ca and Mg bearing materials (e.g.: ultramafic rocks and/or alkaline industrial wastes) at low- and high-temperature and pressure, in a process designated as mineral carbonation. However, mineral carbonation rates are very slow and improving the technology efficacy requires adopting strategies that enhance the conversion rate of CO₂ to carbonates.

In this Special Issue, we welcome studies (laboratory, modelling, and field-studies) that describe recent advances in the synthesis of carbonate minerals in mineral carbonation settings and contribute to further understanding the factors that inhibit or enhance CO₂ sequestration. Topics of interest include studies on kinetics and mechanisms of nucleation and crystal growth, crystallization and dissolution pathways, the effect of impurities in crystal properties, characterization of amorphous and hydrated carbonate phases, synthesis of marketable high-purity carbonate products, mineral stability, microbial carbonates and organomineralization. Original research papers, state-or-art reviews, and short communications are very welcome.

Dr. Ian Power
Dr. Carlos Paulo
Dr. Kwon Rausis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Mineral carbonation
Crystalline/amorphous products
Nucleation and crystal growth
Enhanced weathering
CO2 mineralization
Organomineralization
Crystallization kinetics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Production of Sodium Bicarbonate with Saline Brine and CO₂ Co-Utilization: Comparing Modified Solvay Approaches

Asif Ali

Catarina E. Mendes

Leonardo G. T. C. de Melo

Jinsheng Wang

and

Rafael M. Santos

Crystals 2023, 13(3), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030470 - 09 Mar 2023

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Abstract

The present work investigates the production of sodium bicarbonate in combination with the co-utilization of saline brine and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS). The use of ammonia in the traditional Solvay process could be eliminated by using a modified Solvay process. This study compared the modification with the addition of three buffering additives: Ca(OH)₂, KOH, and NH₄HCO₃. The effectiveness of these processes, using two qualities of saline brine (desalination and aquifer), is compared based on the purity of the produced NaHCO₃. It was found that the use of Ca(OH)₂ did not produce high-purity NaHCO₃, while NH₄HCO₃ and KOH performed better. Desalination brine utilization with NH₄HCO₃ resulted in the production of high-purity NaHCO₃, while the second most suitable method involved the use of KOH, and the main co-product formed was Na₂CO₃. Geochemical modeling is performed in order to have insights into the carbonation (in the reactor) and precipitation (in the oven) behavior of the reactions. It predicted the precipitation of mineral phases well, though kinetics might hinder some saturated solids to dissolve first. The present study shows that accurate characterization is critical to accurately assess the success of modified Solvay processes. The use of QXRD and SEM analyses, complemented with geochemical modeling, helped to better understand the processes and the formation of NaHCO₃. Further investigations on diverse brines could provide for their better utilization by the geological carbon sequestration and water desalination industries that produce them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Processes for Climate Change Mitigation)

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Open AccessArticle

Accelerated Weathering and Carbonation (Mild to Intensified) of Natural Canadian Silicates (Kimberlite and Wollastonite) for CO₂ Sequestration

and

Crystals 2021, 11(12), 1584; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11121584 - 19 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2114

Abstract

Canada’s mineral reserves can play a very important role in curbing climate change if natural alkaline minerals are used for the process of mineral carbonation. In this work, the potential of using two Canadian natural silicates for accelerated carbonation is experimentally assessed: kimberlite mine tailing (Mg_0.846Al_0.165Fe_0.147Ca_0.067SiO_3.381) from the Northwest Territories, and mined wollastonite ore (Ca_0.609Mg_0.132Al_0.091Fe_0.024SiO_2.914) from Ontario. The aim of this work was to evaluate the weathering reactivity and CO₂ uptake capacity via carbonation of these two comminuted rocks, both of which are made up of a mixture of alkaline minerals, under process conditions that spanned from milder to intensified. Research questions addressed include: does kimberlite contain a sufficient amount of reactive minerals to act as an effective carbon sink; is dehydroxylation necessary to activate kimberlite, and to what extent does it do this; do secondary phases of wollastonite hinder its reactivity; and can either of these minerals be carbonated without pH buffering, or only weathered? Incubator, slurry, and pressurized slurry methods of accelerated weathering and carbonation were used, and the effect of the process parameters (temperature, solid-to-liquid ration, reaction time, CO₂ level, pH buffer) on the CO₂ uptake and crystalline carbonates formation is tested. The reacted samples were analyzed by pH test, loss-on-ignition test, calcimeter test, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Results showed that wollastonite ore (rich in fast-weathering CaSiO₃) is more suitable for accelerated carbonation than kimberlite tailing (containing slow-weathering hydrated magnesium silicates and aluminosilicates) when only its capability to rapidly form solid carbonates is considered. Incubator and pressurized buffered slurry methods proved to be most effective as under these conditions the precipitation of carbonates was more favorable, while the unbuffered slurry reaction conditions were more akin to accelerated weathering rather than accelerated carbonation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Processes for Climate Change Mitigation)

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Open AccessArticle

Carbonation of High-Ca Fly Ashes under Flue Gas Conditions: Implications for Their Valorization in the Construction Industry

and

Crystals 2021, 11(11), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11111314 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152

Abstract

The utilization of high-calcium fly ashes (HCFA) from coal-fired power plants in the construction industry is problematic, since their high free lime contents can lead to durability problems. In this research, the carbonation of a high-CaO fly ash has been carried out using simulated flue gas and concentrated CO₂, with the aim to assess the valorization potential of such materials in the construction industry. The results show that, at 7 bars total pressure, an up to 36% carbonation efficiency can be achieved in just 30 min when pure CO₂ is used; a comparable result with flue gas requires about 4 h of reaction. On the other hand, experiments carried out at atmospheric pressure show significantly different carbonation efficiencies depending on the CO₂ concentration of the gas used. All experiments resulted in a substantial reduction in the original free lime content, and after reaction times of 4 h (at atmospheric pressure) and pressures of 7 bars (for any reaction time >30 min), the final free lime values were low enough to comply with the requirements of European Standards for their utilization as additions in cement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineral Processes for Climate Change Mitigation)

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