Carbon dioxide can be permanently sequestered through mineral carbonation, where CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 reacts with metal oxides to form stable solid carbonates, or locked in biological reservoirs.
The table below shows the long-term carbon sequestration capacity per unit volume of different geological formations and artificial storage systems.
| Category | Storage System | Carbon Sequestration Capacity (kg\text{kg}kg of CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 per m3\text{m}^3m3) |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Biological | Commercial forestry soils | 15 |
| Artificial Biological | High-density microalgae ponds | 45 |
| Geological Mineralisation | Basaltic rock formations | 120 |
| Geological Mineralisation | Deep saline aquifers | 240 |
| Geological Mineralisation | Ultramafic peridotite deposits | 380 |
It has been suggested that investing in geological mineralisation infrastructure is a far more effective strategy for long-term carbon mitigation than developing large-scale artificial biological systems.
Describe how the data in the table supports this suggestion.
97 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 9.2 Earth and atmospheric science, covering 9.2.1 The Earth's early atmosphere, 9.2.2 How the atmosphere evolved, 9.2.3 Chemical test for oxygen, and 9.2.4 The greenhouse effect and climate change. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.