[bentstrider]

If abiotic theory is plain bullshit, then we got to make use for all those abandoned and dried up oil wells.
I heard in the news recently that some big oil guy was actually concerned about the environment.
He actually suggested finding a way to pump exhausts from factories and vehicles into tapped wells.
I could see this as a possibility, but what else could we use empty fields and wells for?
One thing that came across my mind was subsurface agriculture.
Another would be subsurface, multi-housing.

[Trab]

Err... seal the top and walk away?

Somehow I would think that forcing emissions underground would be a bad idea that would come back to bite future generations.

[gnm]

Yeah we wouldn't want anything nasty like crude oil or hydrogen sulfide or uranium locked underground.....




-G

[clv101]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bentstrider', 'I')f abiotic theory is plain bullshit, then we got to make use for all those abandoned and dried up oil wells.

[rerere]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bentstrider', 'I')f abiotic theory is plain bullshit, then we got to make use for all those abandoned and dried up oil wells.

[PenultimateManStanding]

They are not big holes underground, they're permeable sandstones mostly. Used to work in that field

[bentstrider]

Walk away from them, eh.
Well, if they are permeable sponge rock, then good for you.
But, I say another good use would be underground prisons.
Especially for all those that use and abuse like it's going out of style.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Who, me?

[Geology_Guy]

Old oil fields are composed of narrow drill holes just inches wide and several thousand feet deep. They are drilled into permiable sandstones and limestones.

They are full of salt water and toxic gases and leftover drilling waste. Nothing except for bacteria can live in an old oil well. Also after several decades the casing starts to rust and collapse and the well caves in. It would take lots of energy (oil!) to keep old dry oil wells in good shape!

[Grasshopper]

Yes, the abiotic story on the www is just BS.
Old wells that are no longer economical to produce from are abandoned, and the surface site is reclaimed (at least in Canada, presumably in other countries, too).
As the geology guy says, the wells are too small for agriculture or housing, how someone can imagine that, is beyond me, maybe you are spoofing us, though some old mines have been used in that manner.

Here is a link to the current situation in CO2 sequestration, and a description of how it is concentrated in power station exhaust systems, so that it can be collected for underground disposal. They are monitoring to see what happens to the CO2, but remember that these reservoirs are capable of holding natural gas and oil already, so if the wells are abandoned properly, they will contain the CO2 for geological time periods (thousands or millions of years).

Current CO2 Capture and Storage Activities in Canada