A comparison of the reactivity of activated and non-activated olivine with CO2

This study compares the reactivity of as-received and mechanically activated olivine (Mg0.93Fe0.07)2SiO4 (collected from Åheim, Norway) with carbon dioxide at ambient temperature (~ 25 °C) and 60 bar in the absence of any organic or inorganic additives. Mechanical activation (30 min) was performed in a laboratory ball mill. Mineral carbonation (6 h) was performed in a high-pressure laboratory reactor. Various instrumental techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal analysis (TA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterise solid products before and after carbonation as well as before and after filtration. Structural, surface and morphological changes of mechanically activated olivine resulted in an increased reactivity. The presence of amorphous magnesium carbonate in the form of hydromagnesite ((MgCO3)4·Mg(OH)2·4H2O) has been confirmed.