By Clare Tweedy
The potential use of cosmic rays to monitor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in storage sites is being investigated by a number of British universities, including Newcastle. Once carbon dioxide has been produced as a waste product in power stations, it is transported to a storage site and captured there to reduce global warming and the acidification of the ocean. Current methods to monitor levels of carbon dioxide in storage are expensive and cannot be performed continuously.
Muons, particles from cosmic rays, are able to penetrate rocks deep in the ground and can therefore measure levels of carbon dioxide in a carbon store. The use of muons from cosmic rays allows a monitoring system that can be used over longer periods of time, and therefore give long-term analysis of CO2 storage. It is hoped that the research, funded by The Department of Energy and Climate Change, will help monitor carbon dioxide storage and its effect on the prevention of global warming.
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