Mineral sequestration of CO2 with the use of energy waste – an attempt to estimate the polish potential

Polish power industry uses coal or lignite as basic fuels. That is why this industry is the biggest emitter of CO2 in the country. As a result of electricity and heat production appears some waste - fly ash, which while in the state of suspension can be used for CO2 sequestration by mineral carbonization. The mineral carbonization as a method to lower the reduction of CO2 is especially interesting while using the waste. The article presents the estimation of lowering the CO2 emission in the power industry with the use of water suspensions of energy waste. The results of researches on the level of CO2 absorption by the waste-water suspension and emission from coal burning in the energy industry were used to conduct the estimation. Only the wastes which do not need the pre-treatment but have the potential to bind CO2 were taken into consideration, that means: fly ash from the conventional boilers, ash from fluidal boilers, mixtures of ash and desulphurization products, fly ash from co-combustion of coal and bio-mass and waste from half-dry method of desulphurization. It was assumed that the sequestration may be conducted with the use of waste used in mining and waste which are commercially unexploited. It was estimated that this way about 117.25 Gg CO2/year of CO2 can be utilized every year.