Interactions between geological sequestration of carbon dioxide and deep subsurface microorganisms

Abstract:

Geological sequestration is the process that injects carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from an industrial or energy-related source into deep subsurface rock formations for long-term storage, which is one of the viable and feasible means to reduce greenhouse gas emission and sequester CO₂ permanently. Injecting massive amounts of CO₂ into the deep geological formations may cause significant changes to subsurface that abundant microbiota use as habitats, and hence influence microbial activity and microbial structure. Thus, geological sequestration of CO₂ will directly or indirectly affect the subsurface biogeochemical processes. When exposed to short-or long-term stresses by super-critical phase CO₂(scCO₂), adaptive evolution of the deep subsurface microorganisms may influence the fate and transport of the sequestered CO₂. This review focuses on the latest progress in the domestic and international studies and the current understandings about the scCO₂-water-microbe-mineral interactions in the subsurface environments impacted by CO₂ geological sequestration. In addition, this paper also includes a discussion about the potential to enhance CO₂ stabilization and transformation to the value-added products by the deep subsurface microorganisms.