Silicate production and availability for mineral carbonation.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Geochemistry
• Climate Change Mitigation

Background:

• Accelerated weathering of silicate minerals offers a method for atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration.
• Industrial processes generate substantial quantities of silicate materials, presenting an opportunity for carbon capture.
• Current global accounting for industrially produced silicates is insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the global production of various silicate materials generated by human activities.
• To assess the carbon sequestration potential of these industrially produced silicates.
• To highlight the need for improved quantification of silicate production and carbon capture capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized proxy data to estimate the production of silicate materials such as aggregate and mine waste, cement kiln dust, construction and demolition waste, iron and steel slag, and fuel ash.
• Calculated the potential carbon sequestration based on estimated material production volumes.

Main Results:

• Global production of relevant silicate materials is estimated to be between 7-17 billion tonnes annually.
• The estimated annual carbon sequestration potential ranges from 190 to 332 million tonnes of carbon (C).

Conclusions:

• Industrially produced silicates represent a significant, yet poorly accounted for, resource for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.
• Further research is warranted to accurately quantify contemporary silicate production and assess the carbon capture potential of both current and historical material accumulations.