Trapping greenhouse gases from big emitters like power plants and storing it deep in the Earth's crust is an important tool in slowing global climate change.

However, we currently know very little about the risks of storing carbon dioxide underground or how to manage them. A group of collaborators from the University of Waterloo, the University of Ottawa and the University of Calgary aims to change that, thanks to a $900,000 grant from Carbon Management Canada.

The multidisciplinary team - which includes experts from engineering, social science, economics, policy analysis, and communications - is investigating the risks involved in carbon capture and storage. In the second phase of the three-year project, it will develop strategies to minimize those risks, drawing on current risk-management strategies used for other underground storage technologies. The result? A tailored-for-Canada framework to guide our use of carbon capture and storage.

Researchers: Jatin Nathwani, Robert Gracie, L. Shawn Matott, James Craig, Maurice Dusseault
Partners: Carbon Management Canada

Download this Research Spotlight as a .pdf file.

Learn more about Jatin Nathwani's, Robert Gracie's, James Craig's, and Maurice Dusseault's research in the WISE library.