Captured carbon has a distinct “chemical fingerprint” based on the source from which it was collected, according to research issued Sunday by the University of Edinburgh and Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage. The researchers found that carbon captured from a coal-fired power plant, for example, will have a slightly different chemical makeup than carbon captured from a cement facility.
The discovery could lower the cost of monitoring stored CO2, according to a university press release. “This allows it to be distinguished from other CO2 present near storage sites, such as groundwater or naturally occurring CO2 given off by plants and bacteria. This means that CO2 being injected deep underground does not need to have expensive chemical tracers added, in order to monitor that it is effectively contained,” the release says.
