Alrosa Makes Inroads into Carbon Storage

RAPAPORT… Alrosa has completed the first phase of a study into how it can offset greenhouse gas emissions by storing them in kimberlite.

The Russian miner’s preliminary research focused on the chemical processes that occur in ore that is ready to be disposed of, it said last week. Alrosa compared that to ore samples in various stages of their life cycles, including extraction, processing and post-processing storage. The results showed that the kimberlite’s absorption potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) was comparable to, or even several times greater than, the emissions of the entire company.

“If future research confirms the preliminary data found, we will have established significant potential for compensating greenhouse gas emissions in diamond mining through the ore’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” said Mikhail Dubovichev, head of Alrosa’s innovation and technology center. “This discovery could mark a new step in the efforts to preserve our planet’s ecosystem.”

The company will continue to study ore samples until 2023 and will work with leading geochemical and geological research centers, it noted.

Transport and power generation are Alrosa’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions during the mining process, chief ecologist Polina Anisimova said. Approximately 90% of the company’s power comes from renewable sources, while the company is replacing liquid fuel with natural gas.

“However, achieving carbon neutrality today merely by upgrading existing production processes is challenging,” she added. “Alrosa’s ambitious carbon-neutrality goals can only be met through a combined approach that also includes absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and offset measures.”

Image: Alrosa’s Nyurbinsky mine in Yakutia. (Alrosa)