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A synergistic approach to CO2 sequestration: evaluating trapping mechanisms in saline aquifers

  • Abobakr Sori and Jafarsadegh Moghaddas EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 17, 2025
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Chemical Product and Process Modeling
From the journal Chemical Product and Process Modeling Volume 20 Issue 3

Abstract

Rising fossil fuel consumption intensifies CO2 emissions, worsening climate change. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies offer a promising solution by securely storing CO2 in geological formations, mitigating environmental impacts. This paper presents a long-term synergistic study of multiple CO2 trapping mechanisms in saline aquifers over 200 years and represents a key knowledge gap in the existing literature on CCS. The research was done with advanced numerical modeling using the CMG-GEM software and integrated all the structural, residual, solubility, and mineral trapping mechanisms to find their integrated effect on the efficiency of CO2 storage. These results show that combined dissolution and mineral trapping increase the storage capacity by about 27 %, equivalent to a 400 % increase over the no-dissolution, no-trapping base case. By integrating these methods, a clearer understanding of the interrelations between various trapping mechanisms was obtained, and an effective tool for optimizing strategies in the sequestration of CO2. The complete uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulations for the variability in main input parameters like porosity, permeability, and mineralogical composition is of special note. The approach quantifies the uncertainty over the range of possible results by providing confidence intervals of capacity estimates, enhancing the reliability and broader applicability of the outcomes. This research underlines the long-term stability, environmental safety, and uncertainty quantification of geological CO2 storage; therefore, it provides practical implications for the design and implementation of CCS projects. This research contributes significantly to climate change mitigation by providing necessary guidance for policymakers and engineers to develop appropriate technology for secure and sustainable CO2 storage by illustrating the advantages of a multi-mechanistic approach and discussing issues about uncertainties.

Keywords: mechanisms; geological carbon storage; carbon dioxide; aquifer; modeling
Corresponding authors: Jafarsadegh Moghaddas, Transport Phenomenon Research Center Chemical Engineering Faculty, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box 51335/1996, Tabriz, Iran, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the use of CMG-GEM software in conducting the simulations. We are also grateful to the Transport Phenomena Research Center at Sahand University of Technology for supporting this research.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: Abobakr Sori: Conceptualization, Literature Review, Writing and Drafting, Data Analysis. Jafar Sadegh Moghaddas: Literature Review, Critical Revision of the Manuscript, Writing and Editing, Supervision. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: This work is based upon research funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under project No. 4039921.

  7. Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Input data used for simulation are provided in the supplementary file, “model.rar,” as part of the submission.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/cppm-2024-0111).

Received: 2024-11-12
Accepted: 2025-02-22
Published Online: 2025-06-17

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/cppm-2024-0111
Keywords for this article
mechanisms; geological carbon storage; carbon dioxide; aquifer; modeling

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. An improvement of level control of non-linear horizontal tank process using sliding mode controller
  4. Numerical investigation of inlet pressure effects on condensation flow regime in a supersonic nozzle
  5. Effects of tapered helical obstacles on heat transfer in tubes
  6. Gasification process prediction using a novel and reliable metaheuristic algorithm coupled with the K-nearest neighbors
  7. Evaluating the ionic liquids, commercial solvents, and pressure-swing for efficient azeotropic separation
  8. A synergistic approach to CO2 sequestration: evaluating trapping mechanisms in saline aquifers
  9. Diffusion modeling and optimization of drying dynamics of ogbono seed (Irvingea gabonensis): empirical insights into energy indices and process conditions
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