Mineral Precipitation in Subsurface Energy Systems

The subsurface is indispensable to deep energy decarbonization, with inherent capacity to store energy on scales necessary to balance renewable grid loads and to store CO2 on scales relevant to emission reduction targets. Mineral precipitation reactions play critical roles, both positive and negative, in these engineered subsurface systems, but are notoriously challenging to anticipate or monitor. This talk will highlight experimental efforts to understand both the 'necessary conditions' for precipitation to occur and the effects of precipitation on fluid transport. The results have implications for both preventing precipitation reactions that can undesirably block or obstruct flow, and alternatively promoting precipitation reactions for targeted "sealing" to prevent fluid migration in storage applications. We will also synthesize experimental and modeling work underscoring how we can leverage natural precipitation reactions to promote CO2 mineralization as a permanent sequestration pathway.