Scientists at reykjavik want to bypass the slow process of CO2 absorption into water and the risks it poses by mixing the gas with water before injecting it underground.

The key component in the process is a catalyst -- cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water -- that produces oxygen gas from water, while another catalyst produces hydrogen gas.

This is a known and anticipated process, but the amount of hydrogen gas produced was unknown because the operators didn’t know the exact temperature of the fuel rods or the water level.