Carbon sequestration is part of an energy strategy aimed at mitigating carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and reducing the potential impact of those emissions on climate change. It includes both terrestrial and geologic sequestration. Terrestrial sequestration removes CO₂ already in the atmosphere and stores it in plants and soils. Geologic sequestration captures CO₂ from power plants and other industrial facilities and injects it into carefully chosen geologic formations where it is permanently stored deep underground.

The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) is one of several programs led by Battelle in the carbon sequestration area. It was formed in 2003 as a part of a national effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory to address the increasing amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Today the MRCSP includes over 30 partners representing the public, private, and research sectors of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (see www.mrcsp.org).

In Phase I of the program, the MRCSP identified the sources of CO₂ emissions in its region and opportunities for both terrestrial and geologic sequestration. During this phase, the MRCSP also studied potential options for transporting CO₂ and regulatory frameworks and began a major effort to inform and engage stakeholders in its region about sequestration and the MRCSP project. As a result of Phase I research, the MRCSP concluded that the region has substantial terrestrial and geologic storage resources.

The MRCSP's four-year, Phase II research program commenced in the fall of 2005. It is building on the Phase I effort by conducting conducting a series of field validation tests in a variety of land and geology types to determine how the region’s sequestration potential can be used to advance economic growth while protecting the environment. Specifically, the MRCSP will:

• conduct three small-scale CO₂ injection field tests in the region's deep geologic reservoirs to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of geologic sequestration systems. Detailed studies will determine whether these sites are geologically suitable before injection tests begin;
• conduct three small-scale field validation tests of terrestrial sequestration to show how the stored carbon can be measured and monitored;
• implement an innovative "piggyback drilling" program pioneered by Battelle that will allow the Partnership to leverage the ongoing and extensive investments made by local oil and gas drilling companies to gather "real-world" sequestration-related data, such as core samples from deep geologic formations;
• continue crucial work initiated in Phase I to further map and define the sequestration potential of the region;
• continue to develop an understanding of key regulatory issues; and
• launch the first systematic attempt to engage and inform stakeholders in the region about this important class of technologies.

For more information about MRCSP or Battelle's role in other carbon sequestration programs, contact Mr. David Ball at (614) 424-4901, balld@battelle.org, or Dr. Neeraj Gupta at (614) 424-3820, gupta@battelle.org.