Mechanically activated minerals as a sink for CO2

CO2 removal from exhaust gasses from burning of fossil fuels is a political issue. If undertaken on a large scale, enormous amounts of carbon dioxide will have to be taken care of. This paper investigates how mechanical activation of olivine and other Ca or Mg containing silicates can increase the mineral’s reactivity. Tests by grinding in a planetary mill have been done to investigate the effects of mechanical activation and other surface changes. The reactivity towards HCl and CO2 has been determined as a function of grinding variables. Prolonged dry milling of olivine resulted in highly aggregated products, which were more reactive with respect to dissolution in acid than their respective BET surface areas would suggest. The initial breaking of bonds appears to give more reactivity on an energy usage basis than longer time activation. Most mechanical activation testwork so far has been carried out in batch mode. The result is diminishing effect of activation with increased grinding time. Continuous grinding and simultaneous reaction with some sort of classification may offer a chance of removing reaction products as soon as they are formed, giving a more energy effective process.