CO2 Geological Storage: Mineralization in mafic rocks

ongoing

Deep mineralization in mafic rocks has emerged as one of the most secures technologies for long-term carbon sequestration. Although small-scale validations have shown promising results, the fracture-controlled hydraulic properties of mafic rocks are still not properly understood, which imposes significant uncertainties for industrial-scale operation. The objective of GEOMIMIC is to develop a better understanding of fluid flow and fracture-matrix interaction to improve carbon mineralization efficiency in fractured mafic reservoirs. In the outgoing phase at Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), we will develop a comprehensive taxonomy of mafic rocks, which will set the foundations for a screening framework to evaluate potential storage sites. We will also provide new fundamental knowledge on transport properties and coupled hydro-chemo-mechanical processes in fractured media using an innovative experimental setup for studying reactive fluid transport in fractured samples. We will perform complementary numerical simulations for upscaling testing results to the field spatial and temporal scales relevant to carbon mineralization. Finally, in the return phase at Universidade da Coruña (Spain), we will use for the first time a testing approach originally conceived to measure rock fracture toughness, to assess coupled chemo-mechanical phenomena. GEOMIMIC will contribute to the selection of suitable CO2 storage sites and accelerate the design and operation of field validations, which is urgently required as climate change intensifies. This MSCA PF will provide me a unique opportunity to learn core technical skills in subsurface applications, as well as key transferable skills to become an independent researcher. I will take fully advantage of available facilities and support from my supervisors, who are highly experienced experts in the subject-matter of the project and are in an excellent position maximize the outputs of the project and benefit my future career.