• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2021

This study is to identify the mineralogical properties of caprock samples from drilling cores of the Pohang basin, which is the research area for the demonstration-scale CO2 storage project in Korea. The interaction of water-rock-gas that can occur due to CO2 injection was identified using geochemical modeling. Results of mineralogical studies, together with petrographic data of caprock and data on the physicochemical parameters of pore water were used for geochemical modeling. Modelling was carried out using the The Geochemist's Workbench 14.0.1 geochemical simulator. Two steps of modeling enabled prediction of immediate changes in the caprocks impacted by the first stage of CO2 injection and the assessment of long-term effects of sequestration. Results of minerlaogical analysis showed that the caprock samples are mainly composed of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase and a small amount of pyrite, calcite, kaolinite and montmollonite. After the injection of carbon dioxide, the porosity of the caprock increased due to the dissolution of calcite, and dawsonite and chalcedony were precipitated as a result of the dissolution of albite and k-feldspar. In the second step after the injection was completed, the precipitation of dawsonite and chalcedony occurred as a result of dissolution of calcite and albite, and the pH was increased due to this reaction. Results of these studies are expected to be used as data to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of mineral trapping capture in long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.627-642
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• 2022

The world's long reliance on fossil fuels (e.g., oil, coal, and natural gas) is severely changing its environment and climate. Energy research has focused on developing hydrogen as the most promising energy carrier and a key technology for sustainable energy development. Hydrogen can be classified as gray, blue, green, and otherwise according to the raw materials and methods used for production and processing. For the development of hydrogen energy, geologists are attempting to identify the mechanism of abiotic hydrogen generation by serpentinization or hydrothermal alteration. Teams in the United States, France, and Australia have researched laboratory-scale hydrogen production through water-rock interactions under various conditions, whereas there has been almost no research on abiotic hydrogen in South Korea. This paper reviews the current state of international research on hydrothermal alteration and offers suggestions for future investigations of abiotic hydrogen production in South Korea.