Patent ID: 7749476

Claim:
A method comprising: a) digesting a material comprising a metal silicate with an aqueous solution to produce divalent cations and a material comprising SiO 2 ; b) reacting the divalent cations with dissolved carbon dioxide to produce a precipitation material in a precipitation reaction mixture; and c) separating the precipitation material from the precipitation reaction mixture to produce a separated precipitation material and a supernatant, wherein the method is performed in a system comprising: a) a processor for processing the material comprising the metal silicate; b) a precipitation reactor for precipitating the precipitation material, wherein the precipitation reactor is configured to receive carbon dioxide from an industrial source of carbon dioxide; c) an electrochemical system comprising a cathode configured to generate hydrogen gas and an anode configured to generate protons from the hydrogen gas, wherein the electrochemical system is configured to transport hydrogen from the cathode to the anode; and d) a liquid-solid separator for separating the precipitation material from the precipitation reaction mixture, wherein the precipitation reactor is operably connected to both the processor and the liquid-solid separator, and wherein the electrochemical system is operably connected to the processor, the precipitation reactor, or both the processor and the precipitation reactor.