Title: Unconventional coal reservoir for CO₂ safe geological sequestration

Authors: Cristina Rodrigues; Maria Alzira Dinis; Manuel João Lemos de Sousa

Addresses: Faculty of Science and Technology, CIAGEB, Global Change, Energy, Environment and Bioengineering RDID&D Unit, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praça de 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal ' Faculty of Science and Technology, CIAGEB, Global Change, Energy, Environment and Bioengineering RDID&D Unit, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praça de 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal ' Faculty of Science and Technology, CIAGEB, Global Change, Energy, Environment and Bioengineering RDID&D Unit, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praça de 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal; Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Rua da Academia das Ciências, 19, 1249-122 Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: The energy dependency is one of the major problems the international community faces nowadays and governments are being encouraged to develop strategies in different fields in order to reduce their external dependency. Additionally, the European Commission sustainable energy plan is engaged into reducing greenhouse gases effect to promote sustainable environment. It is not yet possible to displace fossil fuels from the energy scenario and it is essential to apply new technologies, such as CCS (carbon, capture and storage) technologies, specifically CO₂ geological storage/sequestration. The paper studies different coal samples (considered one of the solutions of CO₂ geological storage/sequestration) concerning their storage and gas circulation capacities since they are highly dependent on coal physical/chemical properties which are intimately related to its genetic conditions and incarbonisation processes. Petrographic parameters are also studied, since they will induce different porous structures and internal surface areas, which will produce different gas storage and circulation behaviours.

Keywords: CO2 safe geological sequestration; sustainable energy; gas circulation; global warming; incarbonisation; unconventional coal reservoirs; carbon sequestration; carbon dioxide; energy dependency; coal samples; petrographic parameters; porous structures.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2013.051481

International Journal of Global Warming, 2013 Vol.5 No.1, pp.46 - 66

Received: 11 Apr 2012
Accepted: 26 Jul 2012
Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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