Scientists from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York have found a rock in Oman which is claimed can soak up carbon dioxide. This discovery allowed scientists to think that it can be used to soak up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

This rock, known as peridotite, solidifies into a mineral like calcite once carbon dioxide comes in contact with it. In this case, scientists say, the rock can slow the effects of global warming.

The process itself is natural and it can store 2 billion or even as many as 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide emission each year.

Peridotite is found in the Earth's mantle but it is abundant in the surface of Oman. Scientists have made calculations on the costs of mining the rock and bringing it to fossil fuel emitting factories yet soon learned that it was expensive.

However, scientists have made a patent for the technique of making the peridotite begin its carbon absorption process. All they did is bore the rock down and inject it with heated water which contains pressurized carbon.

In Oman alone, the peridotites found in there can store up to 4 to 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Alongside the peridotites, the synthetic trees developed by a scientist from the same university, can be used to reduce the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

The rock has been found to occur in certain countries like Papua New Guinea, Caledonia, along the Adriatic coastline and a small amount in California.

But there is no such rocks present in big greenhouse gas-emitting countries like the United States, India and China. Thus, they have to find other ways on how to cut or store their emissions.

Currently, companies that produce large amounts of greenhouse gases have their own techniques by siphoning off the carbon dioxide and storing it underground. But this method poses problems like gas leaks.

Therefore, storing them into the rocks is much safer and cheaper. Yet as of now, more research is needed to put peridotite in commercial use.