Environmental and safety issues associated with geological carbon storage: a review

Excessive use of fossil fuels and other anthropogenic activities associated with industrialization have further deteriorated the earth’s atmosphere, leading to unprecedented climate change issues, with a significant risk to global wellbeing. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has recently been suggested as a technique for mitigating this impending disaster. Hence, this paper presents a systematic review of literature from various secondary sources, with inclusion and exclusion criteria adopted for data collection. The data used in the present study was sourced from various online research databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and other reliable academic sources. From the findings, it was observed that only a few studies have been carried out on the possible influence of CO 2 leakage on vegetation and soil chemistry, while its effects on biodiversity and water chemistry have received far more attention. Also, since many CO 2 storage projects are still in the development stages, there is a need to critically appraise the various environmental and safety issues that may be associated with them. From the African perspective, there has been a dearth of studies on the potential of CCS, and therefore information on its impact on the environment is completely lacking. Machine learning and numerical modeling, therefore, present a viable option for the identification of potential CO 2 leaks, and thus provide baseline data for future monitoring programs. Furthermore, a detailed risk analysis of CO 2 storage and leakage should be carried out to fully understand the ecological implications of CCS utilization to ensure environmental safety and sustainability.