TU Wien physicists discover atomic mechanism allowing minerals to bind carbon dioxide within years rather than centuries

TU Wien researchers prove water bends CO2 molecules on mineral surfaces, allowing for rapid carbon sequestration into rock within just two years.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 30, 2026, 9:12 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from EurekAlert!

Accelerating the Path to Mineral Carbonation

The long-held scientific assumption that converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into stable rock requires centuries has been challenged by new findings from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). For decades, geologists believed that carbon sequestration necessitated a sluggish two-step process involving the dissolution of both the gas and the rock into charged particles before new minerals could form. However, a research team led by Giada Franceschi and Professor Ulrike Diebold has demonstrated that certain minerals can bind CO2 much faster than previously thought. According to the team, this discovery explains why industrial injections of CO2 into the ground have shown that 60% of the carbon can be mineralized within just two years, a timeline that traditional models could not justify.

Visualizing Atomic Interactions on Wollastonite

To uncover the secret behind this rapid transformation, the researchers focused their efforts on wollastonite, a common silicate mineral. Using high-resolution atomic force microscopy, they were able to observe chemical interactions directly at the atomic scale for the first time. This imaging revealed that the presence of even a minuscule amount of water on the mineral surface fundamentally alters how carbon dioxide behaves. By providing a molecular-level view of the reaction, the team confirmed that water serves as a critical intermediary, facilitating a direct bond between the gas and the solid surface that bypasses the slow detour through dissolved ions.

The Geometric Transformation of Carbon Dioxide

One of the most significant observations made during the study involves the physical shape of the carbon dioxide molecule itself. Under normal conditions, CO2 is a linear molecule with two oxygen atoms pointing in exactly opposite directions from a central carbon atom. However, Professor Ulrike Diebold explained that when carbon dioxide interacts with a thin layer of water on a wollastonite surface, the molecule actually bends. This geometric shift is crucial because it changes the chemical properties of the gas, allowing it to attach directly to the mineral. Without this water-induced bending, the molecule would lack the appropriate docking site to form a stable bond with the rock.