University of Illinois gets $897K grant to study
effects of underground injection of carbon dioxide
CHICAGO, IL, Nov. 18, 2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded an $897,225 grant to
the University of Illinois for a three-year research project to find out
the environmental impact of injecting carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas,
from a source such as a coal-fired electric generating power plant into
Illinois' deep underground water reservoirs for long-term storage.
Researchers will use field work and modeling to determine the effects of
CO2 sequestration on groundwater aquifers. The plan is to see whether
CO2 injection could cause changes in reservoir pressure and possibly
result in salt water migrating from deeper groundwater and contaminating
fresh water near the surface.
Although underground injection of CO2 for such things as enhanced oil
and gas recovery is a long-standing practice, CO2 injection specifically
for geologic sequestration involves different technical issues and
potentially larger volumes of CO2 than in the past.
EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act established the Underground Injection
Control program to allow the safe injection of fluids into the
subsurface in a manner that does not endanger current or future
underground sources of drinking water. EPA recently proposed new rules
to ensure there is a consistent and effective permit system under the
SDWA for commercial-scale geologic sequestration.
EPA is working with the Department of Energy as it carries out its
carbon sequestration research and development program and is also
coordinating efforts to evaluate potential impacts on health, safety and
the environment.
More information on EPA's CO2 geologic sequestration program is at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_sequestration.html and at http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/carbon_sequestration.htm. |