Coastal spreading of olivine to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations: a preliminary evaluation

In the Dutch media, it has recently been proposed (by Prof. R.D. Schuiling) to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations by spreading ground, sand-grade olivine along large portions of the Earth’s coastlines. This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of this proposal, and has been carried out as part of CATO, the national Dutch CCS program. The feasibility of beach weathering of olivine depends on factors such as the rate of olivine dissolution, the sequestration capacity of the dominant reaction, and process efficiency including olivine mining, crushing, grinding, and transportation.