University of Oklahoma to Lead Oklahoma Carbon Hub

The $18.7M Project, Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Will Research Potential Carbon Storage Sites

NORMAN, OKLA. – A team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and industry partners have been awarded an $18.7M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate commercial subsurface storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The project, The Oklahoma Carbon Hub, will explore three sites in Osage and Kay Counties as potential locations for storing approximately 54 million metric tonnes of CO2 over 20 years. For perspective, the average car in the U.S. produces one metric ton of CO2 in three months.

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“We’re emitting more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over time. If we could capture that carbon dioxide at certain point sources, we could use these types of facilities to store it long-term,” said Matthew Pranter, Ph.D., director of the OU School of Geosciences and Eberly Family Chair, the lead principal investigator on the grant. “We’re trying to help with the global issue of climate change and mitigate or reduce the amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere.”

Industry Collaboration and Feasibility

Three committed CO2 sources will support the storage solutions if deemed feasible:

• CVR Fertilizer Plant near Coffeyville, KS

• Azure Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production Facility near Cherryvale, KS

• Heimdal Direct Air Capture Units on the Osage Reservation in Oklahoma

The project spans the entire Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy and includes contributions from multiple partners.

“This is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the three units [in the College],” said Pranter. “We have experts in the School of Geosciences, the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, and the Oklahoma Geological Survey involved.”

“This prestigious award demonstrates the importance of harnessing multi-disciplinary teamwork in addressing one of the most consequential and complex challenges of this century,” said John Antonio, dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.

Research Details and Goals

Subsurface geological storage is one option for storing CO2 after capture. Pranter explains that subsurface formations have held oil and gas for millions of years, making them a viable option for long-term CO2 storage.

For these sites, researchers will characterize and quantify pore space and mineral distributions to determine optimal locations for injection wells. This includes drilling wells to acquire cores several hundred feet thick, enabling direct observation of rock formations.

The target rock layer, the Arbuckle Group, has high porosity, while overlying formations act as natural seals to prevent CO2 migration. “We know that the rock formations are such that they act as natural storage tanks in the subsurface,” said Pranter.

In some instances, rocks chemically react with CO2, converting it into a mineral over time. While this is not necessarily the case in the Oklahoma Carbon Hub, it remains a possibility for other sites.

Federal Backing and Program Impact

The project is part of the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE), a $518M initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. The Oklahoma Carbon Hub will become the first CarbonSAFE program awarded in Oklahoma.

“This project involves detailed subsurface characterization up to the point where we can move forward with preparing and submitting applications to permit wells that could be used to inject CO2 over the long term for permanent subsurface storage,” said Pranter.

To view images to accompany the release, visit Dropbox.

About the Project

The Oklahoma Carbon Hub (OKHUB) is recommended for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy for $18,737,658 over three years. An additional $4,695,000 in non-DOE funds supports the grant, bringing the total funding to $23,432,658.

About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic, and health care needs of the state, region, and nation.