3D Quantification of Pore Networks and Anthropogenic Carbon Mineralization in Stacked Basalt Reservoirs

Battu, Anil K.; Miller, Quin R. S.; Cao, Ruoshi; Owen, Antoinette T.; Schaef, H. Todd

doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c06163

3D Quantification of Pore Networks and Anthropogenic Carbon Mineralization in Stacked Basalt Reservoirs

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c06163· OSTI ID:2335501

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Basalt formations are promising candidates for the geologic storage of anthropogenic CO₂ due to their storage capacity, porosity, permeability, and reactive geochemical trapping ability. The Wallula Basalt Carbon Storage Pilot Project demonstrated that supercritical CO₂ injected into >800 m deep Columbia River Basalt Group stacked reservoir flow tops mineralizes to ankerite-siderite-aragonite on month-year timescales, with 60% of the 977 metric tonnes of CO₂ converted within two years. The potential impacts of mineral precipitation and consequent changes on rock porosity, pore structure, pore size, and pore size distributions have likely been underestimated hitherto. Herein, we address these knowledge gaps using X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (XMT) to evaluate the pore network architecture of sidewall cores recovered two years after CO₂ injection. In the present study, we performed a detailed quantitative analysis of the CO₂-reacted basalt cores by XMT imaging. Reconstructed 3D images were analyzed to study the distribution and volumetric details of porosity and carbonate nodules in the cores along with the various other phases, providing insight into paragenesis and carbonate growth mechanisms, including mineralogic/chemical zonation. Finally, these findings are being used to parametrize multiphase reactive transport models to predict the fate and transport of subsurface CO₂, enabling scale-up to commercial-scale geologic carbon storage in basalts and other reactive mafic-ultramafic formations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2335501

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--181590

Journal Information:: Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 58; ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
X-ray micro tomography
ankerite
basalt
carbon mineralization
geologic carbon sequestration
segmentation
siderite
supercritical carbon dioxide

3D Quantification of Pore Networks and Anthropogenic Carbon Mineralization in Stacked Basalt Reservoirs

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