285-9 Study of Geological Processes Pave the Way for Profitable Carbon Sequestration

Session: Rock Deformation and the Dynamics of Mountain Building: A Session Honoring the Scientific Contributions of John P. Platt, Part II

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As the urgency to mitigate climate change intensifies, engineering geological processes to address its challenges becomes increasingly critical. A well-known strategy involves sequestering atmospheric carbon in mafic and ultramafic lithologies through natural carbonation reactions. However, many additional natural processes hold untapped potential for carbon sequestration.

Key to their success is designing processes that are both profitable and capable of sequestering gigatons of CO₂ annually. In this study, I introduce a novel method of carbon sequestration inspired by the natural formation of epigenetic sulfur deposits in evaporitic gypsum sequences, driven by sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB).

Our approach adapts these natural processes utilizing industrial waste gypsum, SRB consortia, and organic carbon-rich waste sources such as municipal sewage and livestock manure. This method not only sequesters carbon effectively but may also be economically viable due to the production of valuable by-products and the reduced cost of storing industrial gypsum waste.

Our efforts demonstrate that studying the fundamental science of natural processes is crucial for discovering future methods to mitigate climate change—both by sequestering atmospheric CO₂ and by enabling low-CO₂ energy production. The future of geology is bright!

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-8761

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