CO2 mineral sequestration by wollastonite carbonation

In this paper, we demonstrated a new approach to CO2 mineral sequestration using wollastonite carbonation assisted by sulfuric acid and ammonia. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance. The change in Gibbs free energy from −223 kJ/mol for the leaching reaction of wollastonite to −101 kJ/mol for the carbonation reaction indicated that these two reactions can proceed spontaneously. The leached and carbonated wollastonite showed fibrous bassanite and granular calcium carbonate, respectively, while the crystal structure of pristine wollastonite was destroyed and the majority of the Ca2+ in pristine wollastonite leached. The chemical changes in the phases were monitored during the whole process. A high carbonation rate of 91.1 % could be obtained under the action of sulfuric acid and ammonia at 30 °C at normal atmospheric pressure, indicating its potential use for CO2 sequestration.