Carbon Sequestration - Is it a viable option ?

"Carbon sequestration" is the term given to a suite of technologies that can remove CO2 from large point sources, such as power plants, oil refineries and industrial processes, or from the air itself.

Natural carbon sequestration is a cycle that's been happening on this planet for billions of years. It's simply the process by which nature has achieved a balance of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere suitable for sustaining life. Animals expel carbon dioxide, as do plants during the night; forest fires belch carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, volcanic eruptions and magma reservoirs deep beneath the ground also play their part.

Nature provided trees, the oceans, earth and the animals themselves as carbon sinks, or sponges. All organic life on this planet is carbon based and when plants and animals die, much of the carbon goes back into the ground where it has little impact on contributing to global warming.

Nature's fine handling of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has served the planet very well.

Its a different story since the advent of 'man'.Instead of rapidly discontinuing the use of what we know is heating our planet, researchers are trying to find other ways of defeating Nature (Artificial Sequestration) to allow us to continue our lifestyles; or helping it deal with the excess carbon dioxide we produce.

Artificial carbon sequestration refers to a number of processes whereby carbon emissions are captured at the point of product and then buried.

One proposed method is ocean sequestration whereby carbon dioxide is injected deep into the ocean, forming lakes of CO2. In theory, the carbon dioxide will stay down deep due to the pressure and temperature of the surrounding water; gradually dissolving into that water over time.

Another method is geological sequestration where the carbon dioxide is pumped into underground chambers such as old oil reservoirs, aquifers and coal seams that are unable to be mined.

Mineral sequestration is also being considered. In this method, carbon dioxide is injected into areas rich in Magnesium or Calcium. The carbon dioxide will react with those elements and combine to form calcium carbonate (limestone) and magnesium carbonate (magnesite).

Because carbon sequestration holds the potential both to reduce emissions of CO2 from point sources and to remove CO2 from the air, sequestration research has grown over the several years from small-scale, largely conceptual studies technology intensive experiments.

Sequestration techniques are not instantaneous and the fact that they will take a long time to make a difference in CO2 levels is a consideration. Do you think that these attempts for artificial sequestration be sustainable and viable in future?