Why Lake Nyos disaster cannot happen in CCS?

FACTSHEET
#5
Why the Lake Nyos disaster
can’t happen from CCS
I
, a lake i Af i a - Ca e oo , alled
Lake N os, e upted a huge olu e of CO2
i to the ai a d killed o e
people
a d
a
a i als i the su ou di g
a ea. Be ause the disaste a d a o
aptu e a d sto age CC“ oth i ol e CO2
it is so ei es asked if this t aged ould
happe at/ ith a CC“ p oje t.
The sho t a s e to this uesio is o, it
a ot happe at/ ith a CC“ p oje t, a d
he e is h :
The Lake N os disaste
as aused
a
la ge u de g ou d ol a o i the a ea
that as p odu i g CO2. The ol a o as
o e ted to the lake i a a that the
CO2 as ha elled i to the oto of the
lake f o u de eath. Be ause the lake
as e deep the a ou t of CO2 held at
the oto of the lake i eased o e i e
u il a e la ge olu e as i pla e – hi h o od k e
a out. O the da of the disaste a la dslide i the a ea
aused the ate of the lake to get distu ed e ause the
ate of the lake as the o l thi g keepi g the CO2 in
pla e, this esulted i all the CO2 at the oto of the lake
to o e to the su fa e i o e gia t u p . The CO2 then
p e e ted the people a d a i als i the a ea f o gei g
e ough o ge esuli g i thei sufo aio . I
, a
pu p as i stalled i the lake to pu p ate a d CO2)
f o the oto to the su fa e. This pu p stops the CO2
f o a u ulai g a d akes su e a othe disaste ould
e e happe agai .
CO2 sto age, that is pa t of CC“, is do e i the i os opi
holes, o po es, that atu all o u ithi suita le o ks
deep u de the g ou d – a ou d
o deepe . Fo
sto age o k to e suita le it also eeds to ha e a ap o k
that o e lies it so that gases a d li uids a ot pass
th ough. This o i aio of o ks ill keep the CO2 sto ed
safel a d pe a e tl . To ake e t a su e ho e e , the
CC“ ope ato ill o ito the CO2 to ake su e it sta s i
pla e as ell as o ito i g the g ou d ate , i e s a d
lakes i the a ea, a d the e i o e t at the su fa e to
ake su e o CO2 e e ea hes these se sii e a eas.
Fi all , if so ethi g as to go e , e
o g ith a CC“
p oje t a d the CO2 did leak f o the sto age o k, e ause
it ould e o i g f o
i os opi holes it ould o l
o e out as a hiss
hi h ould ui kl dissipate, a d
e e as a la ge u p like at Lake N os.