But the technology may hold some unwelcome surprises if the carbon dioxide finds its way out and up to groundwater aquifers, a new study by Duke University researchers indicates. It could react with minerals there and increase levels of pollutants, perhaps so much that federal regulators would deem the water undrinkable, experiments suggest.Gotcha coming and going!
The hypothetical "groundwater" in the experiments became more acidic,
CO2 dissolved in water becomes C2HO3 = carbonic acid, the bubbly in your soft drinks
which in turn had the effect of dissolving some of the minerals in the sediments. In particular, the concentrations of iron, cadmium and zinc, among other minerals, increased by more than 1,000 percent after exposure to carbon dioxide.
That's where all the flavor comes from! Have you ever tasted distilled water? Nobody has - it's tasteless!