Scientists from Iceland convert carbon dioxide into basaltic rock

Turning Carbon Emissions to Stone from Earth Institute on Vimeo.

According to a paper published in the journal Science, carbon dioxide emissions from an   geothermal electric power plant have been captured, pumped underground and solidified. Scientists, working on a project called CarbFix were able to turn CO2 into a chalk-like solid material in two years, while earlier studies suggested it could take thousands of years for large amounts of carbon dioxide to be converted to chalk.
Because the solidification process occurs so quickly, risks that carbon dioxide will escape into the atmosphere while it is being stored underground are greatly diminished.  The process could eventually be used for direct carbon capture and storage (CCS). However scientists need a few more years of research to answer the important questions - why the carbon dioxide was solidified so quickly, and how the process would be affected if power plants were to mix the CO2 with readily available saltwater instead of fresh water.