Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Carbon sequestration; Sequestration; Climate change

Abstract

"The feasibility of sequestering CO2 in saline aquifers of Lamotte Formation sandstone was investigated at wells located near Thomas Hill power plant, Moberly, MO and Sioux City Power Plant in Florissant, MO. Governing factors of using aquifers for CO2 disposal include water salinity, potential for carbonic acid buffering, rate of precipitation of carbonate minerals following CO2 introduction into the host aquifer, and the integrity of the Davis and Derby-DoeRun shale as a trap rock to prevent migration of the CO2 phase and carbonic acid into the overlying potable Ozark Aquifer.

Both in situ and laboratory methods were used to determine formation water composition and reactivity of rock samples under accelerated H2O + CO2 experiment conditions. Major element cations and anions were determined for the aquifer water as well as ions released from altered rock samples. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) determined clay phases present in reservoir and trap rocks, and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) was used to examine rock samples before and after CO2 reactions.

Salinity of each target aquifer had total dissolved solid (TDS) concentrations over 40,000 mg/kg, above the EPA limit of 10,000 mg/kg to qualify as a class VI injection site. Upon exposure to CO2 + H2O in a high pressure and temperature environment, some samples displayed visible iron alteration and precipitation of spherical carbonate phases of undetermined identity. Davis samples showed variable reactivity with carbonic acid, buffering from a baseline pH of 3.90 up to pH 6.88. The slowest buffer was to pH 6.04 over 205 days, and had average Ca and Mg releases of 418 and 135 ppm, respectively. Further research is needed to test the integrity of the Davis Formation as a viable seal"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Wronkiewicz, David J.

Committee Member(s)

Dunn-Norman, Shari
Bai, Baojun

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Geology and Geophysics

Sponsor(s)

United States. Department of Energy

Comments

Department of Energy Award Number DE-NT0006642, which was given to City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, funded the coursework and labwork leading to the fulfillment of this degree.

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Fall 2015

Pagination

xii, 148 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 142-147).

Rights

© 2015 Robert Allen Swain, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Geological carbon sequestration -- MissouriCarbon sequestrationAquifers -- MissouriGeochemical surveys -- Missouri

Thesis Number

T 10802

Electronic OCLC #

936209360

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