Energy, Vol.21, No.9, 765-774, 1996
The fate of liquid CO2 disposed of in the ocean
The behavior of CO2 droplets in intermediate and deep ocean waters has been studied. Because of CO2 hydrate formation on surfaces, CO2 droplets in the ocean cannot, as predicted previously, either be converted into hydrate particles or form a continuous liquid phase. CO2 molecules in the hydrate are found to diffuse readily. As the result, hydrate layers formed on droplets do not stop mass transfer of CO2 from droplets to seawater and, therefore, the CO2 droplets will be dissolved. This predicted fate for CO2 droplets in the ocean agrees with laboratory simulations reported in the literature.