Scientists in Scotland receive funding for offshore carbon dioxide storage investigation

The quest for the large-scale development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) received another boost today, after it was announced that scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland secured funding for a four-year investigation into possible carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage solutions.

The project, entitled ‘Migration of CO₂ through North Sea Geological Carbon Storage Sites: Impact of Faults, Geological Heterogeneities and Dissolution,’ secured £276,498 ($363,800) in funding from the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Highlights call.

The initiative will specifically explore the ability of complex rock strata beneath the North Sea to trap CO₂ emissions securely.

In particular, it will look at ways in which injected CO₂ could migrate upwards through overlying layers of underground rocks, examining how embedded faults and rock tiers interact and possibly alter pathways for CO₂ flow.