Conrad Geoscience and Sandia Technologies awarded funding for characterization of promising geologic formations for carbon sequestration:

Conrad Geoscience/Sandia Technologies DOE Award Notice

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

One promising new approach to reducing the effects of global warming is Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS).  Carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas recently identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "a threat to human health and welfare", is a byproduct of many industrial processes, including fossil fuel combustion.  The gas can be separated from flue-stack emissions, compressed, and transported via pipelines to suitable storage areas in underground rock formations.  This process is known as "carbon capture and sequestration".

 The US Department of Energy (DOE), alongside utility companies and industry, has begun a research initiative to search for areas in the United States where CO₂ gas can be safely stored in these underground formations.  Conrad Geoscience, along with Sandia Technologies of Houston, Texas, has been awarded funding from the DOE and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to participate in this research initiative.  Research will focus in the Newark Basin formation that extends from southeastern New York, northern New Jersey, and into eastern Pennsylvania.  The geology for this region shows promising characteristics for CCS and has the potential for storage of hundreds of years' worth of carbon emissions. 

Useful Links

Sandia Technologies, LLC

EPA Press Release 12/7/09