EFRC Carbon Capture and Sequestration Activities at NERSC Why it
Matters: Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is considered to be present in
only trace proportions in our atmosphere but it has a leading
role in the cast of greenhouse gases, with a thermal radiative
effect nearly three times as large as the next biggest
contributor. Energy related processes are the biggest sources of
atmospheric CO2, especially the burning of fossil fuels and the
production of hydrogen from methane. Since both human-caused CO2
concentrations and global average temperatures have been
increasing steadily since the mid-20th century it could very
well be that our energy future depends on our ability to
effectively remove CO2 from the atmosphere. But there are
significant technological challenges. Several NERSC projects
associated with Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) are
seeking to surmount those challenges by simulating some of the
complicated processes related to underground carbon capture and
sequestration. These are geoengineerin