3D Nano(micro) tomography of salt aggregates study for CCS applications

Carbon capture & storage has been identified as a critical technology for addressing rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Saline aquifers are a promising storage candidate in numerous regions globally for CCS, yet their efficacy can be compromised by CO2-induced salt precipitation Salt can precipitate in different crystal forms with different properties and effects. The morphology and porous structure of salt crystals will depend on several factors e.g. evaporation rate, solute accessibility, characteristics of the solid surface. The proposed experiment aims to understand how salt precipitates on a solid substrate in porous media and how it grows via nucleation/growth on the same material. Nano/microporous salt aggregates, crucial to this investigation, have already been synthesized under various conditions as part of the ongoing research of the proposal participants. We expect to obtain a high-resolution 3D tomogram revealing the porous structure at unprecedented spatial resolution.