The latest on managed mine tailings & enhanced weathering—w/ Dr. Greg Dipple of UBC

The mining industry has a reputation for being a villain in the environmental space. But enhanced weathering and managed mine tailings could change that, giving mines the ability to capture and store carbon long-term. So, what does that process look like? What have we learned from the research thus far? And why doesn’t the idea get more attention in the carbon removal space?

 

Dr. Greg Dipple is a Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia—Vancouver,and a podcast alumnus! On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Greg joins Ross to give us an update on his research around carbon mineralization in mine tailings, reminding us how the process works and explaining why it’s not already common practice.

 

Greg describes his team’s field pilot experiments with concentrated flue gas and direct air capture, discussing how these processes, implemented at scale, could make mining operations carbon neutral—or even net negative. Listen in for insight on how the Coronavirus is impacting scientific research and learn how carbon mineralization in mine tailings could make the industry a hero in the fight against climate change.

 

This episode is jointly released as Carbon Removal Newsroom episode #48.

 

Key Takeaways

 

[2:20] The focus of Greg’s research

Combine CO2 with metals from mine waste Form metal carbonate minerals Store for hundreds of thousands of years Potential to make mines net negative

 

[5:50] Why carbon mineralization isn’t already common practice

Must tailor approach to geological deposit, local climate Field pilot last summer at diamond mine in NW Territories Direct air capture experiment at FPX in BC this summer

 

[9:55] The problems Greg is solving through these experiments

Design processes in lab to overcome rate limits Test acceleration strategies on active mine site Develop suite of tools for verification purposes

 

[11:39] The price at which it would be worth it to mine for waste rock

Exploring for most reactive rock would bring cost down Pay for cost of mining with carbon tax in $100/ton range

 

[12:39] Why carbon mineralization in mine tailings doesn’t get more hype

More attention in mining-focused areas like Canada Verification through peer-review process before publishing results

 

[16:07] How the Coronavirus is impacting the pace of scientific research 

Greg’s team still very productive from home At least half of 2020 field projects delayed

 

Connect with Ross

 

Nori

Nori on Patreon

Nori on Facebook 

Nori on Twitter

Nori on Medium

Nori on YouTube

Nori on GitHub

Nori Newsletter

Email hello@nori.com

Nori White Paper

Subscribe on iTunes

Carbon Removal Newsroom

 

Resources

 

Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at UBC

Geoscience BC

Dr. Greg Dipple on RCC EP009

Dr. Roger Aines on RCC S2EP06

Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program

Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine

FPX Nickel Corp

Offsetting of CO2 Emissions by Air Capture in Mine Tailings at Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia

Project Vesta on CRN EP019