Leader: Dr Andrew Mitchell (AU). Co-Is: Dr Snehasis Tripathy (CU); Prof Hywell Thomas
(CU); Prof. Andrew Evans (AU); Dr. Arwyn Edwards (AU); Dr Andrew Thomas (AU); Dr.
Martin Wilding (AU); Dr David Ian Schofield (BGS Wales); Mrs Michelle Bentham (BGS); Mr.
Gareth Farr (BGS), Dr Richard Bevins (National Museum Wales); Mr Peter Walker (Big Pit
National Coal Museum); Prof Liane Benning (University Leeds; Liane Benning)
Geo-Carb Cymru: Background
• Wales – fossil fuel
power, steel production
and oil refinery - 8% of
the UKs CO2 emissions
(Welsh Assembly
Government, 2013)
• Low carbon energy can
tackle climate change,
provide energy security
and create jobs ‘One
Wales: one planet’
(Welsh Assembly
Government, 2009)
GEO-CARB CYMRU –
The potential of low
carbon subsurface
energy
Subsurface low carbon energy?
GEO-CARB CYMRU – a sustainable
network to undertake fundamental
work to characterise and enhance
geologic carbon storage systems
and groundwater heating systems
in Wales.
EU renewable energy obligation: to source
15% of its energy from renewables by 2020
(DECC, 2009).
© NERC / BGS
Geologic Carbon Storage – what is it?
To meet our UK climate
change targets, we will
need to decarbonise the
power sector by the 2030s.
CCS could reduce
global CO2 emissions
by 19% and that
fighting climate
change could cost
70% more without
CCS (IEA).
Geothermal energy — what is it?
EU renewable energy
obligation: sourcing
12% of heat from
renewables by 2020 proportion of this has
the potential to be
sourced from
geothermal heat
(DECC; Busby et al.,
2011).
© NERC / BGS
Geothermal energy plants are normally located in regions where there is volcanic
activity. Although the UK is not actively volcanic, there is still a substantial resource
of geothermal energy at shallow depths.
Broad Aims
1) Assess the feasibility, physical constraints and
storage capacity in unconventional on- and off-shore
geological reservoirs such as deep coal seams, shale
and sandstone formations using Wales as an
exemplar
2) Determine the physical, chemical and
microbiological controls on the fate & security of CO2
from the pore to reservoir scale
3) Determine controls on enhanced subsurface water
heating, and effects on new subsurface energy
sources via large scale ground source heat pumps.
GCS feasibility, physical constraints and capacity
Petrological and geophysical characterisation - pore to reservoir scale.
Wales as an exemplar of
Unconventional on- and
off-shore geological
reservoirs such as deep
coal seams, shale and
sandstone formations
GCS feasibility, physical constraints and capacity
Modelling transport and fate of CO2 from pore to reservoir scale
cm
90 s
150
135
0 ssss
105
120
195
60
10s Km
© NERC / BGS
10s m
10s Km
100s Km
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Experimental characterisation of CO2 adsorption and permeability
Mosleh, 2014.
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Microbiological activity may have a significant impact on the fate and security of CO2
CO2 may impact subsurface communities
Subsurface communities may impact CO2 – enhanced CO2 trapping?
HEFCW funded
Extreme
Experimental
Environments
Lab
Gneise et al 2014
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Microbiological activity may have a significant impact on the fate and security of CO2
CO2 may impact subsurface communities
Aberystwyth University GeoGenomics Lab
Expertise in Environmental multi-omics (DNA, RNA, metabolomes) from
“extreme” microbial habitats (glaciers, coal mines, sub-surface, air, soil) to
sequencing (Illumina, IonTorrent) and analysis
GeoCarbCymru will survey subsurface ecosystem biodiversity
and function using
i)
Marker loci amplicon
sequencing (e.g16S/18S
rRNA)
ii) Metagenomes
iii) Microbial genomes
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Microbiological activity may have a significant impact on the fate and security of CO2
Subsurface communities - BIOFILMS / BIOMINERALS - may impact CO2 – CO2 trapping?
Effect adsorption and permeability?
Biofilm
MITCHELL, et al. (2008), MITCHELL, et al.(2009), MITCHELL, et al. (2010)
Biomineralisation
MITCHELL, A.C. et al. (2010) : ES&T.
doi: 10.1021/es903270w
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Microbiological activity may have a significant impact on the fate and security of CO2
Subsurface communities - BIOFILMS / BIOMINERALS - may impact CO2 – CO2 trapping?
Effect adsorption and permeability?
High Pressure Biofilm Growth and Biomineralization Test System
SC-CO2
storage
accumulator
Nutrient media
storage accumulator
Hassler-type
core holder
gas-side
Liquid and supercritical fluid-side
Physical, chemical, microbiological controls on security of CO2
Microbiological activity may have a significant impact on the fate and security of CO2
Modelling biogeochemical processes in subsurface systems
Biomass
m to km scale
Saturation
mm to cm scale
Zhang and
Klapper 2010
CO2 mineralization
BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES:
- Gas Adsorption
- Gas Diffusion
- Aqueous geochemical reactions
- Abiotic Rock Weathering
- Abiotic Mineral Precipitation
- Microbially Enhanced Rock Weathering
- Microbially Enhanced Mineral
Precipitation
- Chemoautotrophy –use of inorganic
energy sources to synthesize organic
compounds from CO2
Enhanced groundwater heating – processes and ‘hot spot’ locales
Average geothermal gradient = 3ºC per 100 m depth)
What is the role of mineralogy and
microbiology on enhanced
groundwater heating?
Are anomalous ‘hot spots’ related
particular mineralogical and
microbiological conditions?
Estimated temperature 100m
Estimated temperature 500m
Sampling locations
Engineering microbiologically
enhanced groundwater heating?
Closed loop heat pumps
Open loop heat pumps
Mine water systems
© NERC / BGS
Enhanced groundwater heating – processes and ‘hot spot’ locales
What is the role of microbiology on enhanced groundwater heating?
- Can specific microbial and geological conditions provide ‘hot spots’ for optimal location
and operation of open and closed loop geothermal operations?
- Is microbiology a problem?
Gneise et al 2014
Who is Geo-Carb Cymru?
Dr Andrew
Mitchell (AU)
Prof Andrew
Evans (AU)
Dr Arwyn
Edwards (AU)
Dr Andrew
Thomas
(AU)
Dr Martin
Wilding (AU)
Dr Bill Perkins
(AU)
Dr Snehasis
Tripathy (CU)
Prof Hywel
Thomas (CU)
Prof Liane
Benning
(University
Leeds)
Prof Al
Cunningham
(MSU)
Prof Robin
Gerlach
(MSU)
+ 3 Postdoctoral Fellows
+ 2 PhD students
Dr David Ian
Schofield
(BGS)
Mrs Michelle
Bentham (BGS)
Mr Gareth Farr
(BGS)
Dr Richard
Bevins
(National
Museum
Wales)
Mr Peter
Walker (Big Pit
National Coal
Museum)
PATHWAYS TO IMPACT
•
Workshop on ‘Low carbon energy in Wales’ at AU in the last year of the project.
•
Training of highly skilled researchers - Researcher Concordat to Support the Career
Development of Researchers; specific career development plan for fellows
•
Maximising impact with school students, with particular focus on STEM
– school outreach programme
– National Science Week
– STEM students from local schools will also be invited to the ‘Low carbon energy in
Wales’ workshop
– host Nuffield students
•
Maximising impact with general public.
– Public Understanding of Science (PUS) lectures at the award winning Aberystwyth
Arts Centre
– GwyddonLe (Science Shack) at the National Eisteddfod
Leader: Dr Andrew Mitchell (AU). Co-Is: Dr Snehasis Tripathy (CU); Prof Hywell Thomas
(CU); Prof. Andrew Evans (AU); Dr. Arwyn Edwards (AU); Dr Andrew Thomas (AU); Dr.
Martin Wilding (AU); Dr David Ian Schofield (BGS Wales); Mrs Michelle Bentham (BGS); Mr.
Gareth Farr (BGS), Dr Richard Bevins (National Museum Wales); Mr Peter Walker (Big Pit
National Coal Museum); Prof Liane Benning (University Leeds; Liane Benning)