Technoeconomic Potential for Carbon Mineralization with Enhanced Recovery of Critical Minerals in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

Commitments to limit the effects of global climate change require the implementation of renewable energy, along with a significant reduction of CO₂ emissions. To facilitate this transition, the active removal of atmospheric CO₂ by the development and deployment of new carbon management infrastructure and technologies is needed. Additionally, the world is projected to require an unprecedented amount of critical minerals, yet current high-grade ore supplies and existing mining technologies are unable to meet this demand. This study analyzes the feasibility of a novel CO₂ mineralization and enhanced mineral recovery (CO₂-EMR) technology designed to target low-grade, historically uneconomical resources for in situ mining. The Josephine Ophiolite in Northern California and Twin Sisters Dunite in Northwest Washington are promising ultramafic reservoirs for implementing this new mining technology. Ultramafic, olivine-rich rocks from these two sites were characterized pre- and postreaction with CO₂, with both samples showing rapid carbonation in the form of magnesite. Furthermore, the fluid sampled shows a high recovery of nickel, a designated critical mineral. These experimental findings were then implemented in a technoeconomic analysis to assess the viability of field-scale implementation of this technology in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.