Reactive transport modelling of in-situ CO2 mineralization in basalt formations

Abstract

In-situ CO2 mineralization has been identified as a permanent, scalable, large-scale, and potentially cost-effective carbon removal technology. The CO2 injected into basalt formations can be transformed into carbonate minerals within 2-4 years and thus achieve permanent carbon locking. To understand the in-situ CO2 mineralization, this study aims to fill the knowledge gap in characterizing spatial-temporal geochemical development during in-situ CO2 mineralization. A reactive transport model was thus developed and strictly validated. The model shows an excellent agreement with the standard reactive transport model distributed with PHREEQC. Both the distribution and concentration of aqueous species show an excellent consistency. As indicated by our reactive transport model, MgCO3 is the most carbonate mineral that the cations in the solute can potentially form with a concentration up to 0.26 mol/L while CaCO3 is the second most carbonate mineral, with a maximum concentration of 0.15 mol/L. FeCO3 is the least generated carbonate mineral with a concentration of less than 0.0018 mol/L. Furthermore, our modelling indicates that 48% of carbon is transferred into carbonate minerals while the remaining 52% of carbon exists in aqueous complexes, revealing the importance of dissolution trapping in basaltic formations. Moreover, more carbonate minerals can precipitate in a heterogeneous permeability than an isotropic permeable rock. This study provides insights into the reactive transport process of in-situ CO2 mineralization, which is useful for understanding the underpinning mechanisms and optimizing the petrophysical recipe to maximize the carbon removal potential at the field scale.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as: Chen, Y., Clennell, B., Zhang, J., Tang, M., Ahmed, S. Reactive transport modelling of in-situ CO2 mineralization in basalt formations. Capillarity, 2024, 13(2): 37-46. https://doi.org/10.46690/capi.2024.11.02

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