Effect of Hydrothermal Alteration on Divalent Cation Release during Basalt-CO2 Interaction: Inferences from Batch Experiments

Geoscientists and engineers use mineral and glass dissolution rates to quantify waterrock interactions and make predictions about groundwater chemistry, energy systems and environmentally contaminated sites. However, such rates are typically laboratory-derived and differ dramatically from observed rates in natural settings. To help reconcile the disparities between laboratory and field systems, we will be determining and comparing dissolution rates of a glassy rock derived from two types of experiments: (1) from batch reactor experiments, which are well-mixed systems and (2) from flow-through experiments, which constantly supply fresh water to the reacting material. We will take advantage of state-of-the-art laboratories at the Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET) laboratory, a facility of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), to perform the batch experiments with Dr. Eric Oelkers. At Stanford University, we are currently undertaking flow-through experiments within the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. Our results will be particularly useful for advancing the field of geologic CO2 sequestration, a suggested technique to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by storing CO2 in the subsurface in the form of stable carbonate minerals.