1887

Abstract

Summary

The permanent disposal of CO2 in the subsurface is a viable strategy to mitigate global warming. Continental flood basalts (CFB) are considered unconventional CO2 storage reservoirs, with alternating vesicular and massive basalt layers acting as potential reservoirs and caprock, respectively. Basalts dissolve rapidly under acidic conditions, promoting CO2 mineralization. However, sub-vertical fractures in basalts could pose a risk of CO2 leakage, though this may be mitigated by secondary mineral precipitation, which could lead to the self-sealing of fractures.

CO2-saturated water lowers the pH, causing minerals like plagioclase, pyroxene, and basaltic glass to dissolve and release ions such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+, contributing to mineral precipitation. Two studies were conducted under subsurface conditions (800 m depth) to explore whether geochemical reactions could facilitate self-sealing. The first study examined mineral saturation and the nature of mineral precipitation (secondary carbonate or silicate minerals) on basalt wafers, while the second focused on fractured basalt cores, investigating mineral precipitation in the fractures and adjacent pore networks.

Mineral carbonation in basalt was minimal under pressure, temperature, and low pH conditions. However, significant Si-Al minerals, like zeolites and smectites, formed, with precipitation outweighing dissolution, increasing grain volume.

© EAGE Publications BV
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202570005
2025-02-03
2026-02-15

  • From This Site

    /content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202570005
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. GWB11. (2016). Geochemist's workbench (version 11) [software]. Department of Geology at the University of Illinois
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Gysi, A.P., Stefánsson, A., 2012a. Experiments and geochemical modeling of CO2 sequestration during hydrothermal basalt alteration. Chem. Geol. 306, 10–28. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.02.016
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Gislason, S. R. and E. H.Oelkers (2014). “Carbon storage in basalt.” Science344(6182): 373–374.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Matter, J.M., Stute, M., Snaebjornsdottir, S.O., Oelkers, E.H., Gislason, S.R., Aradottir, E.S., Sigfusson, B., Gunnarsson, I., Sigurdardottir, H., Gunnlaugsson, E., Axelsson, G., Alfredsson, H.A., Wolff-Boenisch, D., Mesfin, K., Fernandez de la Reguera Taya, D., Hall, J., Dideriksen, K., Broecker, W.S., 2016. Rapid carbon mineralization for permanent disposal of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Science352 (6291), 1312–1314. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad8132.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. McGrail, B.P., Schaef, H.T., Spane, F.A., Cliff, J.B., Qafoku, O., Horner, J.A., Thompson, C.J., Owen, A.T., Sullivan, C.E., 2016. Field validation of supercritical CO2 reactivity with basalts. EnvironmentalScience & Technology Letters4 (1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00387
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Phukan, M., VuH.P., Haese, R.R., 2021, Mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions and their net balance controlled by mineral surface area: An experimental study on the interactions between continental flood basalts and CO2-saturated water at 80 bars and 60 °C., Chem. Geol. 559, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119909.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Phukan, M., JyotiA., BlackJ.R., Haese, R.R., 2021, Changes in pore geometry and connectivity in the basalt pore network adjacent to fractures in response to CO2-saturated fluid. Water Resources Research57, https://doi. org/10.1029/2021WR030275.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Schaef, H. T., B. P.McGrail and A. T.Owen (2010). “Carbonate mineralization of volcanic province basalts.” International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control4(2): 249–261.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202570005
Loading

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error