Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory say they have found a way to help tackle the problem of climate change by combining carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, with common magnesium- or calcium-bearing minerals. The resulting mixture, a mineral carbonate, would trap the CO2 and prevent it from reaching and warming the atmosphere. The scientists say the method could prove practical and affordable. The DOE is also investigating other means of carbon sequestration; for example, scientists in Hawaii are trying to see whether it would be feasible to pump liquid CO2 deep below the surface of the ocean.
