Biography
Niamh Faulkner is a PhD researcher within the Raw Materials spoke of iCRAG. Niamh graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2018 with a bachelors in Geology and soon after began her PhD in Trinity College Dublin under the supervision of Juan Diego Rodríguez-Blanco.
Her research is focused on the use of Al-carbonates for carbon capture and storage in basalt. She will investigate how to synthesize stable Al-carbonates at (near)-ambient conditions and how to prevent them from transforming to non-C-bearing minerals.
Technical description
In order to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement of remaining well below the 2°C, ideally within 1.5°C, warming of pre-industrial revolution levels several gigatons of CO2 must be sequestered each year. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in geological formations will be essential to achieving this. The predominant form of CCS is in sedimentary reservoirs, notably exhausted oil reservoirs, however this method is prone to CO2 leaking back to the surface. Pumping CO2 dissolved in water into porous basalt formations results in the rapid precipitation of carbonate minerals and the permanent storage of CO2 over geological time.
Al-Carbonates, such as Dawsonite, are key minerals for carbon sequestration, however there is limited knowledge about the geochemical conditions under which they form and how to target the precipitation of them. This project will investigate how Al-carbonates form and how to ensure the stability of them. Being able to synthesize the minerals at (near)-ambient temperatures will make basaltic CCS more efficient, less energy intensive and more economically viable.
The research involved precipitating minerals from aqueous solution, examining them under SEM-EDS and XRD. Later work on in situ and real-time crystallisation will take place at a synchrotron to examine the transformation reactions of Al-carbonates in the presence of foreign cations and at various environmental conditions.
Role
- Postgraduate Researcher
Institution
- TCD
Research Area
- Earth System Change
Expertise
- Environmental Geoscience
