Carbon Storage Beyond the Basin: Carbon Mineralization from Reactive Transport Simulation

This lecture by Dr. Ryan M. Pollyea, Associate Professor at Virginia Tech Geosciences, explores innovative approaches to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) beyond traditional geological environments. Learn how reactive basalt formations offer promising alternatives for CO2 storage through carbon mineralization processes. Discover how these formations induce fluid-rock geochemical reactions that permanently trap carbon dioxide as stable mineral phases, providing a more durable carbon trapping mechanism than conventional methods. The presentation examines the challenges of working with basalt reservoirs, particularly their dense fracture networks that may allow supercritical CO2 to escape before mineralization occurs—a critical concern for carbon credit certification and economic feasibility. Through a series of student research studies, explore the complex feedbacks between multi-phase flow and carbon mineralization in fractured mafic formations, offering insights into expanding geographic opportunities for CCS deployment to help limit global warming to less than 1.5°C.