Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution

Photo credit: Strange Happenings via Unsplash. Article by Anthropocene Team. Anthropocene Magazine – September 11, 2025. Research article: Energy Conversion and Management.

There are hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil and natural gas wells in the U.S. These orphaned wells, most of them uncapped, create significant emissions and pose safety risks. Plugging the wells with oil made from plant-based waste such as corn husks, wood chips, and switchgrass could be a cost-effective way to reduce well emissions and storing carbon. Researchers from Iowa State University presented a detailed analysis of this two-for-one solution in a paper published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management. […]

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