Decarbonizing Faroe Islands through CO2 Mineralization in Basalt – DecarbFaroe

DecarbFaroe advances CO2 mineralization in volcanic geological formations from academic research to low-cost, commercially viable onshore pilot demonstrations, by initiating first kiloton injections on the Faroe Islands. By leveraging the untapped potential of globally abundant mafic rocks for distributed, onshore, permanent CO2 storage, the project bridges a critical gap in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The approach addresses the high costs and limited adoption of megaton saline aquifer CCS while overcoming acceptance and scalability barriers in subsurface mineralization.
Based on an extensive site characterization (WP1), the project will include injection of up to 1000 tons CO2 (dissolved in water) from a local biogas plant into subsurface basalt, demonstrating carbonate mineralization (WP2) and permanent storage by means of geochemical-geophysical monitoring (WP3). Dissemination to similar geological settings is addressed, including immediate scale-up efforts in India/Brazil (WP4). Beyond technical goals, DecarbFaroe addresses regulatory, social, and commercial feasibility (WP5) based on low costs (< 50€/ton CO2) and secure onshore operation. Strong collaboration of academic and industry partners like Equinor, 44.01, and VBER ensures implementation at a well characterized site with available CO2 and robust local support.
Ultimately, DecarbFaroe will deliver a blueprint for scalable, low-cost CCS in mafic rocks, demonstrating a viable commercial model where revenues exceed costs, enabling global adoption with mega-ton storage by 2030 and gigaton by 2050.

DecarbFaroe will advance subsurface CO2 mineralization in widely available mafic/ultramafic rocks as a cost effective, rapidly deployable storage solution for small to medium scale projects. This transnational and transdisciplinary pilot project aims to demonstrate, with public support, the potential for gigaton-scale CO2 storage in basalt, aligning with Europe’s strategy to accelerate the clean energy transition and achieve the 2050 emission reduction goals.