This website will offer limited functionality in this browser. We only support the recent versions of major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Technology Collaboration Programme by IEA

Review of CO2 storage via in-situ mineralisation in mafic-ultramafic rocks

Members Only Technical Report

22 August 2025

Storage

H. Todd Schaef, Madeline F. Bartels, Casie Davidson, Stephanie DiRaddo, Nabajit Lahiri, Nora Lopez Rivera, Katherine L. Maier, Quin R.S. Miller, Emily T. Nienhuis, Ellen G. Polites, C. Heath Stanfield, Matt Villante

Citation: IEAGHG, “Review of CO2 storage via in-situ mineralisation in mafic-ultramafic rocks”, 2025-03, August 2025, doi.org/10.62849/2025-03

Review of CO2 storage via in-situ mineralisation in mafic-ultramafic rocks

Overview

Mafic and ultramafic rocks, such as basalt and peridotite, are widely distributed across the globe and can be generally associated with: oceanic crust; large igneous provinces, such as the Deccan traps (India), the Columbia River Basalt Group (USA) and the Parana-Etendeka province (Brazil,  Namibia); ophiolitic complexes e.g. Samail ophiolite (Middle East) and Coast range ophiolite (California); exhumed mantle assemblages; subduction zones and volcanic arcs; and layered intrusions.  Their widespread distribution offers an alternative storage opportunity for the permanent sequestration of CO2 compared to storage in a conventional sedimentary basin setting (i.e. saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs). They largely rely on rapid in-situ mineralisation of injected CO2.

Recent field experiments in mafic-ultramafic rocks demonstrate the potential for such storage opportunity, and IEAGHG felt it timely to commission a critical evaluation of the technology at this point, to understand the progress made to date and some of the factors necessary to scale up to industrial volumes necessary to impact climate targets. Despite growing research, total injected CO₂ through subsurface mineralisation remains around 100,000 tonnes, primarily from CarbFix projects, but claims of total storage resources range upwards of gigatons to teratons.

This report evaluates progress, barriers, and knowledge gaps, and provides stakeholders, regulators, and investors with a comprehensive summary of current knowledge and understanding of subsurface carbon mineralisation in mafic-ultramafic reservoirs.

Members Only

This content is locked as it is a members only publication.

Members gain exclusive access to all of our publications for the first six months, after which the content becomes free to view to the general public. If you are from organisations based in member countries, you can also request access to member-only publications.

Already an existing member? Make sure you’re logged in to view your exclusive member content.

Related Publications

View similar publications.

View All Publications
Technical Review

Insurance Coverage for CO₂ Storage Projects

  • 16 August 2024
  • Industry Insights
  • Storage

This report is a focused review of recent developments regarding insurance coverage for carbon dioxide (CO₂) geological storage projects. It seeks to address the following: what companies are offering or planning to offer insurance to CO₂ storage projects, what is the scope and duration of the coverage offered, and does coverage extend to the transportation of CO₂ to the project site? This work and report was prepared by Franz Hiebert.

Technical Review

CO₂ Storage Site Catalogue

  • 8 August 2024
  • Storage

This Technical Review provides an overview of 22 CO₂ storage sites from around the world. These include CO₂-EOR, commercial scale storage sites and a number of pilot and demonstration storage sites in both depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline reservoirs. Its primary aim is to provide a convenient source of collated information with a specific focus on technical information that are in the public domain.

Technical Review

Monitoring Network Meeting Report

  • 1 December 2023
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

The IEAGHG Monitoring Network aims to assess new technologies and techniques in the monitoring of CO₂ storage, determine the limitations, accuracy and applicability of monitoring techniques, disseminate information from research and pilot storage projects around the world, develop extensive monitoring guidelines for the different sub-categories of geological storage; oil and gas fields, unmineable coal seams, and saline aquifers covering the differing conditions and reservoir properties encountered globally as well as to engage with relevant regulatory bodies.

Technical Review

6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO₂ Storage

  • 1 December 2023
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

The 6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO₂ Storage was held in Aberdeen on 13-14 September. Organised with the University of Texas and hosted by the University of Aberdeen. The loca on was very appropriate as we were co-hosted and sponsored by Storegga who leads the Acorn project nearby in Scotland. This project had been recently announced by the UK government as a Track 2 Cluster project. This 6th workshop had 190 delegates (60 in-person and 130 virtual) from 35 countries, with a good mix of industry, researchers and regulators.

Technical Report

Components of CCS Infrastructure – Interim CO₂ Holding Options

  • 27 November 2023
  • Storage
  • Transport

This work, undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by TNO and SINTEF, provides an overview of temporary / interim CO₂ storage, or ‘holding’, options (also called buffers) and investigates the role of buffer storage and its potential to create flexible and robust carbon capture and storage (CCS) chains. The report looks at current and emerging buffer technologies, conducts simulations to demonstrate the temporary storage required for given flow-rate scenarios and discusses the impact of buffer capacity on transport costs. In the report, the storage requested in the chain for normal operation is presented as " temporary storage" and storage to give buffer capacity is presented as " buffer storage". This report has focussed on buffering at the emitter site. The results of this study will benefit CO₂ storage site project developers, operators, financiers and regulators.

Technical Report

Classification of Total Storage Resources and Storage Coefficients

  • 1 November 2023
  • Storage

The CO₂ Storage Resources Management System (SRMS) is a classification scheme to quantify, classify and categorise CO₂ storage resources. It comprises ‘total storage resources’, which are understood as maximum (theoretical) storage quantities that could ever be accommodated in the subsurface. Comprising maximum mobile CO₂ in structural/stratigraphic traps, maximum residually trapped CO₂ in other parts of the formation, and maximum dissolution potential in remaining formation water. ‘Storable quantities’ are understood as accessible from one or several current or future projects. It is the sum of capacity, contingent and prospective resources. The concept of ‘storage coefficient’ ‘E’ is the ratio of the subsurface volume of CO₂ storable quantities to either the total storage resources or the pore volume. The calculation is arguably complicated as E is impacted by lithological heterogeneity, trapping structures, boundary conditions, injection rates, well spacing, fluid properties etc. Due to its complexity, there is much controversy on how to estimate E, with some arguing it should not be used at all and that reservoir simulation is a better path. However, estimates for E are used in most regional mapping studies. This study explores storage resource classification schemes and their evolution in understanding, the calculation of storage resources and the storage co-efficient. This is explored in terms of calculating E for CO₂ storage sites, through flow modelling and analytical solutions.

Our most recent publications

Our authoritative, peer-reviewed publications cover topics that include carbon capture, transport, storage, monitoring, regulation, and more.

View All Publications
Technical Review

Proceedings of the CCS Cost Network 2025 Workshop

  • 1 October 2025
  • Costs of CCUS
  • Event Proceedings

IEAGHG’s 8th CCS Cost Network Workshop, hosted by Bechtel at their Energy Headquarters in Houston, the so-called Energy Capital of the World, took place on March 5–6, 2025. This invitation-only, in-person gathering convened around 50 leading experts from industry and academia, fostering a highly interactive forum for in-depth discussions on advancing real-world cost estimation across the CCS value chain. The workshop was opened with welcoming remarks from Bechtel’s Bill Elliot, Operations Manager, ET, and George Whittaker, CCUS Operations Manager, which set the scene for a workshop focused on sharing expertise, challenging assumptions, and identifying practical pathways to lower CCS costs.

Technical Report

Market Models for CCUS/CDR – A Global Screening

  • 10 September 2025
  • Capture

This report provides a key pillar to interested parties including policy makers, regulators, and the technical carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) / carbon dioxide removal (CDR) community on potential successful market strategies, including their pros and cons and their suitability for dierent economic and political realities, which may lead to the fast development of an efficient, safe, and accepted CCUS/CDR market sector.

Technical Report

CO2 Flow Metering Technologies

  • 4 September 2025
  • Policy & Regulation
  • Transport

The main objective of this study is to raise awareness of the relevance, state of the art, challenges and opportunities of flow metering for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). Flow metering of CO2 streams will be critical in supporting trade, protecting consumers, ensuring confidence, facilitating taxation, and meeting CO2 reduction goals and treaty obligations.

Technical Report

The Value of Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS)

  • 4 September 2025
  • Capture

The aim of this study is to evaluate the value of direct air capture and storage (DACCS) in the energy transition (down to the regional level), accounting for key factors, including carbon removal eiciency, timeliness, durability, land footprint and techno-economic performance.

Get the latest CCS news and insights

Get essential news and updates from the CCS sector and the IEAGHG by email.

Can’t find what you are looking for?

Whatever you would like to know, our dedicated team of experts is here to help you. Just drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Contact Us Now