FACT SHEETS: Carbon Sequestration in Indiana

Indiana is one of the top emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the country. Elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere lead to changes in the Earth’s climate. One practice being explored to help reduce CO2 emissions is carbon sequestration. Geologic carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing CO2 in underground rock formations. The publication “Carbon Sequestration in Indiana—a Brief Overview” in Vol. 7 of the Indiana Journal of Earth Sciences addresses many different aspects of carbon sequestration such as the necessary requirements, regulatory oversight, and the potential risks. The purpose of these two plain-language fact sheets in IJES Vol. 8 is to further explain some of the technical details of topics mentioned in the publication. Fact sheet 1 addresses why Indiana is being considered for geologic carbon sequestration by discussing which rock formations are being explored as potential caprocks and storage reservoirs. Fact sheet 2 illustrates how CO2 is stored in a geologic carbon storage system by discussing the significance of supercritical CO2 and the trapping mechanisms that can occur in the storage reservoir.