SEQUESTRATION

Two Department of Energy Awards Will Allow ISGS to Develop New Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) to develop a technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plants. In the United States, coal-fired power plants emitted about 1,964 million metric tonnes of CO₂ in 2005. In the Illinois Basin, 126 power plants emitted about 273 million metric tonnes of CO₂ in 2005, of which 98% were contributed by the coal-fired plants. Yongqi Lu, principal investigator and ISGS chemical engineer, will lead the 3-year, $700,000 DOE project. Calgon Carbon Corporation (CCC) has also committed an additional $100,000 for in-kind contributions in support of this project.

The ISGS team of Yongqi Lu and Massoud Rostam-Abadi will collaborate with the CCC and Professor Mark Rood, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to advance an integrated vacuum carbonate absorption process (IVCAP) for post-combustion CO₂ capture. The development of the IVCAP was initiated in 2004 by the ISGS chemical engineers Yongqi Lu, Scott Chen, and Massoud Rostam-Abadi with support from the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC). A U.S. patent application ... more on carbon sequestration

EVENTS


Earth Science Week 2008

"No Child Left Inside" is the theme of this year's Earth Science Week, to be held October 12-18, 2008. The week stresses the importance of the earth sciences, especially geology, in finding, developing, and conserving the water, mineral, and energy resources our modern society needs. Increased understanding of the earth sciences encourages good stewardship of earth resources.

Earth Science Week offers a great opportunity for everyone, especially children, to go outside and participate in earth science activities. The Illinois State Geological Survey recommends a visit to one of Illinois' beautiful state parks and surrounding areas. For many of these parks, ISGS field trip guidebooks are available that contain easy-to-understand information about the natural, cultural, and geological features of these locations.

For more information about Earth Science Week... more on Earth Science Week

HIGHLIGHTS


Interest in Fossil Forest
Continues

Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) geologists, Scott Elrick and John Nelson, joined paleobontanists, Bill DiMichele of the Smithsonian Institute and Howard Falcon-Lang of the Royal College of London, in visiting numerous surface and underground mines in the Illinois Basin. The visit was part of a long-term research project to examine the paleoenvironment at the time of the Desmoisian-Missourian boundary of the Pennsylvanian System. This trip was the first of many future planned excursions over the next 5 years and will include the use and study of ISGS cores in addition to joint research opportunities with other ISGS Coal Section staff. DiMichele and Falcon-Lang were actively involved with ISGS personnel in the highly publicized recent fossil forest discovery in Danville, Illinois. (Contact: Scott Elrick) . . . more highlights