Earth and Environmental Sciences Area Logo Earth and Environmental Sciences Area Logo
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Logo
Menu
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Organizational Charts
    • Strategic Vision 2025
  • Our People
    • A-Z People
    • Alumni Network
    • Area Offices
    • Committees
    • Directors
    • IDEA Working Group
    • Paul A. Witherspoon
    • Postdocs & Early Careers
    • Search by Expertise
  • Careers & Opportunities
    • Careers
    • Intern Pilot w/CSUEB
    • Mentorship Program
    • Recognition & Funding Opps
    • EESA Mini Grants
    • Student Opportunities
    • Supervisor EnRichment (SupER) Program
  • Research
    • Our Divisions
    • Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division
      • Environmental & Biological Systems Science
        • Programs
        • Environmental Remediation & Water Resources
        • Ecosystems Biology Program
        • Bioenergy
      • Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions
        • Programs
        • Climate Modeling
        • Atmospheric System Research
        • Terrestrial Ecosystem Science
      • Climate & Atmosphere Processes
        • Programs
        • Climate Modeling
        • Atmospheric System Research
      • Earth Systems & Society
        • Programs
        • Climate Modeling
    • Energy Geosciences Division
      • Discovery Geosciences
        • Programs
        • Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Geophysics
        • Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Geochemistry
        • Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Isotope
      • Energy Resources
        • Programs
        • Geologic Carbon Sequestration
        • Hydrocarbon Resources
        • Geothermal Systems
        • Nuclear Energy & Waste
      • Resilient Energy, Water & Infrastructure
        • Programs
        • Water-Energy
        • Critical Infrastructure
        • Environmental Resilience
        • Grid-Scale Subsurface Energy Storage
    • Projects
    • Publication Lists
    • Centers and Resources
    • Technologies & National User Programs
  • Departments
    • Climate Sciences
    • Ecology
    • Geochemistry
    • Geophysics
    • Hydrogeology
    • Operations
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
  • Intranet
  • Safety
  • Search

  • all
  • people
  • events
  • posts
  • pages
  • projects
  • publications

New EESA Study Indicates Greater Capacity for Carbon Storage in the Subsurface

by Christina Procopiou on February 6, 2018

Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2 Discovery Geosciences Program Domain Energy Geosciences Division Energy Resources Program Area Energy Resources Program Domain Fundamental Earth Sciences Program Area Fundamental Geosciences Program GC-Sustainable Earth Geologic Carbon Sequestration Program Resilient Energy Sustainable Energy Systems Program Sustainable Energy Systems Program Domain

 

Jiamin Wan led a team in the study for NCGC.

New research from the Energy Geosciences Division at Berkeley Lab shows that carbon dioxide can penetrate the inner layers of some non-swelling clay minerals which make up the dominant clays in the Earth’s deep subsurface. Results of the work performed at the Center for Nanoscale Controls on Geologic CO2 (NCGC) and the national lab’s Molecular Foundry could help inform practices intended to help limit carbon dioxide emissions, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

The study led by EESA staff scientist Jiamin Wan represents ongoing efforts by the NCGC to understand how CO2 behaves one kilometer and farther below the Earth’s surface. A collaboration of seven partner institutions led by Berkeley Lab under the direction of Don DePaolo, NCGC is one of the country’s 32 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) funded by the DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program.

Previous studies have shown that CO2 can alter typical swelling (or expanding) phyllosilicate minerals such as smectite under the high pressures and temperatures of the deep subsurface. Less is known about the effects of CO2 on non-swelling phyllosilicates illite and muscovite, despite them being the dominant clay minerals in deep subsurface shales and mudstones.

Wan believes there is the assumption that CO2 cannot penetrate layers of minerals that do not expand. “Describing a clay mineral as ‘non-swelling’ means that it does not expand,” says Wan. “Because of this, people don’t imagine that CO2 can get into the mineral’s interlayers. Instead, they imagine CO2 uptake by only the outer surface of the minerals.”

This assumption may lead scientists to underestimate the amount of carbon storage capacity available within the deep subsurface. Wan and her team chose to conduct their experiments on the two similar clay minerals muscovite and illite using muscovite, because of the ability to extract it in large, smooth sheets.

Wan believes there is the assumption that CO2 cannot penetrate layers of minerals that do not expand. “Describing a clay mineral as ‘non-swelling’ means that it does not expand,” says Wan. “Because of this, people don’t imagine that CO2 can get into the mineral’s interlayers. Instead, they imagine CO2 uptake by only the outer surface of the minerals.”

In their study, the researchers subjected single muscovite crystals to incubation with supercritical CO2 (scCO2); then characterized the reacted samples using combined atomic force microscopy (AFM),  X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and off-gassing measurements. The first sign that CO2 had penetrated the muscovite sample came when after depressurization the team observed blisters on the muscovite surface (Fig. 1), indicating gas entering the interlayers.

Blistering on the muscovite surface after exposure.

The scientists then confirmed the presence of CO2 using XPS technology, and later quantified the amount of CO2 present by comparing muscovite samples exposed to scCO2 with unexposed control samples to measure the amount of off-gassing of CO2 from the muscovite samples. The exposed samples yielded approximately seven times more CO2 than control samples.

News & Events

Carl Steefel Named 2019 American Geophysical Union Fellow

August 14, 2019

  Carl Steefel, a senior scientist in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab, has been named by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) as a 2019 AGU Fellow. Every year, the AGU Fellows program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the Earth and Space sciences. Vetted by a committee of AGU Fellows,…

Climate Change Expected to Shift Location of East Asian Monsoons

November 25, 2019

Berkeley Lab climate scientists studied how the Hadley cell, a tropical air flow closely linked to monsoons, will change as the climate warms. (Credit: iStockphoto) More than a billion people in Asia depend on seasonal monsoons for their water needs. The Asian monsoon is closely linked to a planetary-scale tropical air flow which, according to a…

Charlie Koven Named One of 2019’s Most Influential Researchers

November 23, 2019

For the second consecutive year, Charlie Koven, a staff scientist in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, has been named among the world’s most cited research scientists. Since 2002, the Highly Cited Researchers list has identified global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers…

EGD Hosts Symposium on Coupled Processes in Radioactive Waste Disposal and Subsurface Engineering Applications

On November 4-5, 2019, the Environmental Geosciences Division co-hosted the DECOVALEX 2019 Symposium on “Coupled Processes in Radioactive Waste Disposal and Subsurface Engineering Applications” in Brugg, Switzerland. Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems are critically important to the performance and safety assessment of geologic disposal systems for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Understanding…

Romy Chakraborty and Boris Faybishenko Honored with 2019 Directors’ Awards

Two EESA scientists were honored with Berkeley Lab Director’s Awards at a ceremony on November 15 in Building 50. Romy Chakraborty, Ecology Department head, and EESA Staff Scientist Boris Faybishenko, are among 15 individuals who received this year’s awards from Lab Director Mike Witherell. The Director’s Awards program recognizes Lab employees each year for exemplary…

  • Our People
    • Area Offices
    • Committees
    • Directors
    • Organizational Charts
    • Postdocs
    • Staff Only
    • Search by Expertise
  • Departments
    • Climate Sciences
    • Ecology
    • Geochemistry
    • Geophysics
    • Hydrogeology
  • Research
    • Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division
    • Energy Geosciences Division
    • Program Domains
      • Programs
    • Projects
  • Contact
    • 510 486 6455
    • [email protected]
    • Our Identity

Earth and Environmental Sciences Area Logo DOE Earth and Environmental Sciences Area Logo UC

A U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory Managed by the University of California

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · Earth and Environmental Sciences Area · Privacy & Security Notice