Carbon Capture and Storage Working Group

The UP Department of Geology Carbon Storage (UP-CS) Working Group conducts research on various geological approaches to store anthropogenic CO₂ and reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Established in 2012, under the auspices of Prof. Wladyslaw Altermann, Kumba-Exxaro Chair, the working group conducts research on two main streams of CO₂ storage: Mineral Carbonation in mine tailings and Geosequestration in deep formations, in a team of BSc Honours, MSc and PhD students working on various research projects. It is currently the largest CO₂ storage working group in South Africa.

The main goals are to grow and increase our research output on the topic of Carbon Storage and to contribute to the growing demand for knowledge on climate change mitigation strategies. We thrive to increase the local talent pool, attract as much local and international collaborations, and amass the necessary infrastructure to realise these goals. Posters, abstracts and papers in various conferences around the country and at several international conferences and journals were presented. A close collaboration with various institutions like the South African Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage (SACCCS) and Council for Geoscience (CGS), Universities of Halle and Darmstadt in Germany, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the University of Oslo, in Norway exist. Our postgrad students visit laboratories and courses in USA, Germany, and Norway on various bursaries.

Forbes Interview 2014

Some Projects of the CS Working Group:

• T. Mlambo (MSc completed in 2012; CGS); "Improving Geological Saline Reservoir Integrity through Applied Mineral Carbonation Engineering".
• N. Nxokwana (MSc student, CGS; project on coal and shale gas related CCS).
• 2012: 3 experimental BSc Hons. projects (S. Mohamed, K. Rapholo, Z. Nkosi) on carbonation of Bushveld tailings using Albany Research Center and Åbu Akademi University procedures.
• 2013 & 2014: S. Mohamed (NRF internship at CGS), Z. Nkosi NRF-DAAD bursary, MSc projects on Bushveld tailings’ mineral carbonation; in continuation of BSc Hons. projects.
• PhD project V. Tibane; on cores of the Zululand basin, possible CO₂ test injection site.
• MSc project F. Ndongani; on cores of the Zululand basin, possible CO₂ test injection site.
• 2013: BSc Hons. project B. Landman and O. Modisha; on cores of the Zululand basin, possible CO2 test injection site.
• SACCCS new bursars for 2014-2015: MSc Niel Hugo and Brandon Landman cores of the Zululand basin, possible CO₂ test injection site. Two BSc Hons projects.
• 2014: Visit by V. Tibane and B Landman to the University of Halle, Germany and cooperation with Prof. Herbert Pöllmann.
• 2014: Z. Nkosi visited Huston, Texas, Summer School on CCS.
• Thuthuka NRF Grant to Victor Tibane for 2 BSc Hons students.
• 2015: Cooperation and seminars with University of Oslo, Norway, Profs. Alvar Braaten and Henning Dipvik.
• 2015: Visits by V. Tibane and Z. Nkosi to Germany on DAAD scholarships and cooperation with Prof. Herbert Pöllmann.
• 2015: BSc project on Zululand basin cores by M. Madzivhandla.