According to Professor Mehran Sohrabi, from the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, the researchers “have now solved the problem of how to seal cracks or fissures in the porous rock that the carbon dioxide will be lodged in.” On the details, he only said to the media that a pressure drop in any underground reservoir that may indicate a leak would activate the sealant.

Such technology is complementary to the established geological knowledge and the various monitoring and control technologies, which have enabled prevention of CO₂ leakages in CCS activities.

The technology allows sealing a CO₂ leakage before it has been detected at the surface injection site. It relies on the in-depth command of CO₂ behaviour when stored underground, notably in the oil and gas reservoirs.

After the successful lab testing, researchers at the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University have just launched a three years joint industry project, sponsored by oil and gas companies, to test the new technology. The project notably includes an onshore field test in its final phase.

 The new technology is a key step in the CCS development and for the mitigation of climate change because it will foster people’s confidence in CCS and encourage companies to build on CCS.