International conference on CO2 sequestration...( WHAT: Turning Carbon Dioxide to Ston...)

WHAT: Turning Carbon Dioxide to Stone: Plant Startup, Conference & Field Trips
WHERE: Reykjavik, Iceland
WHEN: Sept. 7-8, 2009 (Optional: Sept. 5-6 and 9-11).

Journalists are invited to observe initial tests of one the world's first carbon-dioxide sequestration plants, join a meeting of world scientific experts, and make related field trips to spectacular natural sites. The CarbFix project, which uses a radically new process, is designed to pump CO2 from the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, outside Reykjavik, into a massive basalt formation below. Natural chemical reactions within this common volcanic rock should turn the CO2 into a carbonate mineral similar to limestone. The process locks CO2 into a solida potential great advantage over the few other current projects, which store CO2 as liquid. The $11 million pilot, which follows several years of experiments and construction, will treat 2,000 tons of CO2 over nine months. Plant visits and related geologic fieldwork start Sept. 5-6. A Sept. 6 reception at the home of Iceland President lafur Ragnar Grmsson kicks off the formal scientific meeting to explore the status of CarbFix and related projects worldwide. Among the speakers: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory geochemist Wallace Broecker, a leading pioneer of global-warming studies; Klaus Lackner, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy and one of the originators of the process; Lamont scientist Juerg Matter, a leader in carbon sequestration research; and top researchers from a half-dozen other nations. A optional Sept. 9-11 field trip will explore natural sites related to carbon and climate, including glaciers, hot springs, flood plains and lava flows. This project is a partnership of Columbia University's Earth Institute; Reykjavik Energy; University of Iceland; and the National Center for Scientific Research in Toulouse, France.

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