The PhD defence and trial lecture will be held in Auditorium 1 in The Geology Building. In some cases, it will be possible to attend the trial lecture and dissertation digitally, in that case a link to Zoom will be posted.
Trial lecture
Tuesday 23 June, 11:15-12:00, Aud 1, The Geology Building:
From Pore Space to Province: A Global Perspective on the Scaling of Geologic Mineral Carbonation Systems
Conferral summary (in Norwegian)
Karbonfangst og -lagring (CCS) er en teknologi som innebærer at CO₂ fanges i atmosfæren eller ved utslippskilden for å lagres permanent i geologien i jordskorpa. Basalt er en utbredt vulkansk bergart som har vist seg å være lovende som en mulig lagringsbergart for CO₂. I sin avhandling har Rakul M. I. Johannesen undersøkt gamle avsetninger av størknede lavastrømmer på Færøyene for å forstå hvordan CO₂ vil bevege seg når det injiseres i undergrunnen. Funn viser at sprekker i «lavastrømmene» har stor betydning for lagringsegenskapene og i stor grad styrer hvor mye CO₂ som kan injiseres, og hvordan den kan migrere i undergrunnen.
Main research findings
Popular scientific article about Ingunardóttir Johannesen’s dissertation:
There is potential for CO2 storage in flood basalts
Earth’s temperature is rising, mainly because of CO₂ emissions from human activities, primarily burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas). To meet the global climate goals, we must cut emissions and use technologies that can both reduce and remove the CO₂ from the atmosphere. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) do this by injecting CO₂ underground, into safe and effective geological reservoirs.
Basalt, is a common volcanic rock formed from solidified lava, and is a promising option as a reservoir for CO2 storage. In Iceland, pilot projects have shown that injected CO₂ can react with young basalt and turn into solid minerals. But will this storage technology also work in places where the basalt is older and likely less porous and permeable?
To find out, Rakul M. I. Johannesen has in her doctoral work studied solidified lava flows on the Faroe Islands emplaced for more than 55 million years ago. In her study she has used a wide range of data including field observations from cliffs at the islands, drone images and detailed measurements from a scientific bore-hole.
The results show that fractures in the lava flows play an important role in the reservoir potential. The fractures are controlling both how much CO₂ can be injected and how the CO2 will move underground. And even more importantly, fractures might improve the storage potential of otherwise less permeable basaltic rocks. This knowledge is essential before potentially starting CCS on the Faroe Islands, and it can also help assess other regions where basaltic lava flows are being considered for CO₂ storage.
This doctoral work is done at Department of Geosciences and the Njord centre at University of Oslo and in close cooperation with the Jarðfeingi – Faroese Geological Survey.
Photo and other information:
Press photo: Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen, portrait; 1400px. Photo: Private
Other photo material: Photo with description and credit as specified in the article above, size 3000px.
