New VISTA centre at the University of Oslo for research on CO2 storage

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has received funding for a center focused on safe and long-term storage of CO2 in geological formations. The center is led by Henrik H. Svensen from the Department of Geosciences.

Photo: A drill core sample showing basalt from the Oslo Rift. The light spots consist of calcite—a mineral that contains bound CO2. Such samples can teach us a lot about how volcanic rocks can sequester CO2. The sample is presented by Henrik H. Svensen. Photo: Gunn Kristin Tjoflot.

A drill core sample showing basalt from the Oslo Rift. The light spots consist of calcite—a mineral that contains bound CO2. Such samples can teach us a lot about how volcanic rocks can sequester CO2. The sample is presented by Henrik H. Svensen. Photo: Gunn Kristin Tjoflot.

Recently, it was announced that VISTA and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA) are providing support for two new research centers under the VISTA funding scheme, one at NTNU and one at UiO. Both will receive 25 million NOK over a five-year period. 

– Our goal is to turn CO2 into rock. This can be achieved through reactions with volcanic rocks. We have plenty of these both in the North Sea and along the Atlantic margin on the continental shelf, says Henrik H. Svensen, Professor of Geology at the Department of Geosciences; University of Oslo. He will lead the new center called the VISTA Centre for CO2 Storage in Volcanic-Sedimentary Systems (VICCO).

The centre will be housed under the Department of Geosciences and is a collaboration between researchers from geology/geophysics and physics, all from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo.

The centre is funded through the VISTA program, which is a collaboration between Equinor and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Large-scale CO2 Storage in Geological Reservoirs 

Permanent storage of CO2 can play a crucial role in Norway's energy transition in the future, as well as in the global efforts to mitigate climate change.

The new center is a coordinated initiative between the Department of Geosciences, the sections: Crustal Processes and Study of Sedimentary Basins, and the NJORD research centre..

The researchers behind the center are already a leading interdisciplinary and international scientific team. The interdisciplinary team will explore processes within carbonatization from both porous structures and reaction mechanisms at the nanoscale to large-scale storage potential and CO2 capture offshore Norway in various types of geological reservoirs.

– One of our goals with the center is to provide new insights into the potential for safe CO2 storage both at the pore and basin level beneath the seabed," says Svensen.

VISTA is a program for funding basic research financed by Equinor, and the program is carried out in close cooperation with the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA). Read more about VISTA and the funding here: Two new VISTA centres | Vista.no

Foto: The leadership team of the new VICCO center at the University of Oslo. From left: leader and coordinator, Professor Henrik Hovland Svensen, followed by the leaders of the subprojects (work packages): Md Nazmul Haque Mondol, Ingrid Anell, Sverre Planke (VBER), all from the Department of Geosciences, and Joanna Dziadkowiec from Njord and the Department of Physics. Luca Menegon from the Department of Geosciences and NJORD was not present during the photography session. Photo: Gunn Kristin Tjoflot, UiO.
The leadership team of the new VICCO center at the University of Oslo. From left: leader and coordinator, Professor Henrik Hovland Svensen, followed by the leaders of the subprojects: Md Nazmul Haque Mondol, Ingrid Anell, Sverre Planke (VBER), all from the Department of Geosciences, and Joanna Dziadkowiec from Njord and the Department of Physics. Luca Menegon from the Department of Geosciences and NJORD was not present during the photography session. Photo: Gunn Kristin Tjoflot, UiO.
Published Aug. 29, 2024 4:33 PM - Last modified Aug. 29, 2024 4:34 PM
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