Development of a Method for Measuring Carbon Balance in the Chemical Sequestration of CO2

72094S03-I More than half of our nation¿s electricity is currently supplied by coal, and in future decades, plentiful American coal will continue to provide low cost and reliable electricity. However, to address the concern over the CO2 emitted from electric utilities, the CO2 from utility boilers must be reduced. CO2 sequestration as ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) offers two distinct benefits: (1) the formation of biomass, with the assistance of nitrogen furnished by ammonium (NH4+); and (2) the permanent sequestration of CO2 in the earth¿s aquifer. This project will focus on establishing protocols to measure profiles of carbon released from ammonium bicarbonate enriched with carbon-13 or from ammonium bicarbonate with dicyanodiamide, and on determining the mechanisms for carbon transfer from ABC into the ecosystem. With this information, the percentage of carbon that is permanently sequestered in the aquifer in the form of carbonate, and the percentage of carbon in the form of [CH2O]x promoted by the use of ammonium-nitrogen fertilizer, can be determined. Phase I will develop a test protocol with an ecosystem containing soil; groundwater with temperature control; biomass; and an atmosphere with temperature, moisture, pH, and composites control. The test protocol will focus on the carbon differences enhanced by the utilization of ammonium bicarbonate. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The carbon measurement protocol should reduce emissions of CO2 from coal-fired power plants, encourage the power industry to inject aqueous ammonia to sequester CO2 as ammonium bicarbonate for a fertilizer by-product, and increase the understanding of mechanisms for the release of carbon under various field conditions (atmosphere, soil, biomass, and groundwater).