Structure and properties of amorphous magnesium carbonate, a key material for geological storage of carbon dioxide

Kyono, Atsushi*; Yamamoto, Genichiro*; Yoneda, Yasuhiro   ; Okada, Satoru*

Mineral traps are attracting attention as an underground storage method for carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide laden groundwater reacts with basalt to form magnesite. The formed magnesium carbonate phase varies in many ways, but we tried to clarify the structure because all of them pass through amorphous magnesium carbonate. Pair distribution function using high-energy X-ray diffraction revealed that amorphous magnesium carbonate has a structure similar to that of hydromagnesite. It can be said that it is a safe sequestration method as a carbon dioxide storage technology.