COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS USING SUBSTANCES CONTAINING CARBON

• US 20100077922A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arelac, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Calera Corporation
• Inventors: Omelon, Sidney, CONSTANTZ, BRENT, O'Neil, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,939,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/236
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 11/18 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 5/24 Magnesium carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 11/00 Compounds of cadmium
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 13/00 Compounds of mercury
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 21/14 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C01G 28/00 Compounds of arsenic
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/86 by NMR- or ESR-data
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/26 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/28 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/204998 Inorganic carbon compounds
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/23 Carbon containing

Abstract

Methods of characterizing and producing compositions with negative δ¹³C values are provided. Aspects of the invention include characterizing source materials and process products. Aspects of the invention also include compositions that contain carbon with negative δ¹³C values.

Claims

1. A composition comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or a combination thereof, wherein the carbon in the composition has a relative carbon isotope composition (δ

¹³C) value less than −

26 10%.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is a synthetic composition.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof make up at least 50% of the composition.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition has a mass of greater than 100 kg.

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the CO₂ content of the composition is at least 10%.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition has a negative carbon footprint.

7. The composition of claim 1 further comprising boron, sulfur, or nitrogen wherein the relative isotopic composition of the boron, sulfur, or nitrogen is indicative of a fossil fuel origin.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof comprise calcium, magnesium or a combination thereof.

9. The composition of claim 8 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 1/200 and 200/1.

10. The composition of claim 8 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 12/1 to 1/15.

11. The composition of claim 8 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 5/1 to 1/10.

12. The composition of claim 1 further comprising SOx or a derivative thereof.

13. The composition of claim 12 wherein the composition comprises a SOx derivative and wherein the SOx derivative is a sulfite, a sulfate, or a combination thereof.

14. The composition of claim 1 further comprising a metal.

15. The composition of claim 14 wherein the metal comprises lead, arsenic, mercury, or cadmium or a combination thereof.

16. A building material comprising a component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or a combination thereof, wherein the carbon in the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof has a relative carbon isotope composition (δ

¹³C) value less than −

10.00%.

17. The building material of claim 16 wherein the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof is carbon-neutral or carbon negative.

18. The building material of claim 16 wherein the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof is synthetic.

19. The building material of claim 16 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof make up at least 50% of the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof.

20. The building material of claim 16 wherein the CO₂ content of the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof is at least 10%.

21. The building material of claim 16 further comprising boron, sulfur, or nitrogen wherein the relative isotopic composition of the boron, sulfur, or nitrogen is indicative of a fossil fuel origin.

22. The building material of claim 16 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof comprise calcium, magnesium or a combination thereof.

23. The building material of claim 22 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 1/200 and 200/1.

24. The building material of claim 22 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 12/1 to 1/15.

25. The building material of claim 16 wherein the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof constitutes at least 20% of the building material.

26. The building material of claim 16 wherein the building material is a cementitious material.

27. The cementitious building material of claim 26 wherein the building material is cement or concrete.

28. The building material of claim 16 wherein the building material is a non-cementitious material.

29. The building material of claim 28 wherein the building material is an aggregate.

30. The building material of claim 28 wherein the building material is a roadway material.

31. The building material of claim 28 wherein the building material is a brick, a board, a conduit, a beam, a basin, a column, a tile, a fiber siding product, a slab, an acoustic barrier, plaster, dry-wall, stucco, a soil stabilization composition, or insulation or combinations thereof.

32. The building material of claim 16 wherein the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof further comprises SOx or a derivative thereof.

33. The building material of claim 32 wherein the component comprises a derivative of SOx and wherein the derivative is a sulfate, a sulfite, or a combination thereof.

34. The building material of claim 16 wherein the component comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof further comprises a metal.

35. The building material of claim 32 wherein the metal comprises lead, arsenic, mercury or cadmium or combinations thereof.

36. A flowable composition comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or a combination thereof wherein the carbon in the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof has a relative carbon isotope composition (δ

¹³C) value less than −

5.00%, and the viscosity of the composition is between 1 and 2000 cP.

37. The composition of claim 36 wherein the viscosity is between 10 and 1000 cP.

38. The composition of claim 36 wherein the composition is a synthetic composition.

39. The composition of claim 36 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof make up at least 10% w/w of the composition.

40. The composition of claim 36 wherein the CO₂ content of the composition is at least 10%.

41. The composition of claim 36 wherein the composition has a negative carbon footprint.

42. The composition of claim 36 further comprising boron, sulfur, or nitrogen wherein the relative isotopic composition of the boron, sulfur, or nitrogen is indicative of a fossil fuel origin.

43. The composition of claim 36 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof comprise calcium, magnesium or a combination thereof.

44. The composition of claim 43 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 1/200 and 200/1.

45. The composition of claim 43 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 12/1 to 1/15.

46. The composition of claim 43 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 5/1 to 1/10.

47. The composition of claim 36 further comprising SOx or a derivative thereof.

48. The composition of claim 36 further comprising a metal.

49. The composition of claim 48 wherein the metal comprises lead, arsenic, mercury, or cadmium or a combination thereof.

50. A synthetic composition comprising carbonates, bicarbonates, or a combination thereof, wherein the carbon in the composition has a relative carbon isotope composition (δ

¹³C) value less than −

5.00% and the composition is carbon negative.

51. The composition of claim 50 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof make up at least 50% of the composition.

52. The composition of claim 50 wherein the composition has a mass of greater than 100 kg.

53. The composition of claim 50 wherein the CO₂ content of the composition is at least 10%.

54. The composition of claim 50 further comprising boron, sulfur, or nitrogen wherein the relative isotopic composition of the boron, sulfur, or nitrogen is indicative of a fossil fuel origin.

55. The composition of claim 50 wherein the carbonates, bicarbonates, or combination thereof comprise calcium, magnesium or a combination thereof.

56. The composition of claim 55 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 1/200 and 200/1.

57. The composition of claim 55 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 12/1 to 1/15.

58. The composition of claim 55 wherein the calcium to magnesium (Ca/Mg) molar ratio is between 5/1 to 1/10.

59. The composition of claim 50 further comprising SOx or a derivative thereof.

60. The composition of claim 50 further comprising a metal.

61. The composition of claim 60 wherein the metal comprises lead, arsenic, mercury, or cadmium or a combination thereof.

62. A method of characterizing a synthetic composition comprising determining a relative carbon isotope composition (δ

¹³C) value for the composition.

63. The method of claim 62 wherein the composition is a building material, or a material for underground storage.

64. The method of claim 62 wherein the composition is a cementitious composition, or an aggregate.

65. The method of claim 62 wherein the composition is a composition for storage of CO₂.

66. The method of claim 62 further comprising determining the stability of the composition for release of CO₂.

67. The method of claim 62 further comprising measuring the carbon content for the composition.

68. The method of claim 62 further comprising comparing the δ

¹³C value of the composition to another δ

¹³C value.

69. The method of claim 68 where the other δ

¹³C value is a reference δ

¹³C value.

70. The method of claim 69 wherein the other δ

¹³C value is a value for a possible raw material for the composition.

71. The method of claim 69 wherein the other δ

¹³C value is a value for a fossil fuel, a flue gas derived from the fossil fuel, a water source, or a combination thereof.

72. The method of claim 69 further comprising determining whether the composition comprises sequestered CO₂ from a fossil fuel source based on the comparison.

73. The method of claim 62 further comprising quantifying the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in the composition.

74. A method of fingerprinting a composition comprising determining the values for stable isotopes of a plurality of elements, or the values for the ratios of stable isotopes of a plurality of elements in the composition to determine an isotopic fingerprint for the composition, wherein the composition comprises carbonates, bicarbonates, or a combination thereof.

75. The method of claim 74 wherein the stable isotopes comprise isotopes of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen or boron or combinations thereof.

76. The method of claim 74 wherein the composition is a building material or a material for underground storage.

77. The method of claim 74 wherein the composition is a composition for storing compounds of elements of at least two of the isotopes so determined.

78. The method of claim 74 further comprising comparing at least two of the values for stable isotopes or at least two of the values for the ratios of stable isotopes, or a combination thereof.

79. The method of claim 74 further comprising determining the probable source of one or more components of the composition based on the isotopic fingerprint of the material.

80. A method of determining whether or not a composition contains an element sequestered from a fossil fuel source comprising determining an isotopic value or a ratio of isotopic values for the element, comparing the determined value with a reference isotopic value or ratio of isotopic values, and determining whether the composition contains an element sequestered from a fossil fuel source.

81. The method of claim 80 wherein the element is carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, or boron.

82. The method of claim 80 wherein the element is carbon and the comparison is a δ

¹³C value.