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Disputas: Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen

Ph.d.-kandidat Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen ved Institutt for geofag, Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet, vil forsvare avhandlingen CO2 storage potential of flood basalts - A multiscale, structural reservoir study of the Faroe Island Basalt Group for graden Philosophiae Doctor.

Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen. Foto: Privat

Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen. Foto: Privat

Disputas og prøveforelesning er i Auditorium 1 i Geologibygningen. I noen tilfeller vil prøveforelesning og disputas være mulig å delta på digitalt, i så fall blir det lagt ut en lenke til Zoom.

Prøveforelesning

Tirsdag 23 juni, 11:15-12:00, Aud 1, Geologibygningen:

From Pore Space to Province: A Global Perspective on the Scaling of Geologic Mineral Carbonation Systems

Kreeringssammendrag

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.

Hovedfunn

Populærvitenskapelig artikkel om Ingunardóttir Johannesens avhandling:

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.

The investigations and concluding work in this doctoral thesis is based on, among other things, fieldwork, digital outcrop models and well data. The well-exposed cliffs in the Faroe Islands are ideal analogues for basaltic subsurface, both on the Faroe Islands and also in other volcanic regions (Credit: Rakul M. I. Johannesen / Marija Plather Rosenqvist)
The investigations and concluding work in this doctoral thesis is based on, among other things, fieldwork, digital outcrop models and well data. The well-exposed cliffs in the Faroe Islands are ideal analogues for basaltic subsurface, both on the Faroe Islands and also in other volcanic regions (Credit: Rakul M. I. Johannesen / Marija Plather Rosenqvist)

 

Foto og annen informasjon:

Pressefoto: Rakul Maria Ingunardóttir Johannesen, portrett; 1400px. Foto: Privat

Annet bildemateriale: Foto med beskrivelse og kreditering som spesifisert i artikkelen over, størrelse 3000px.

Publisert 9. juni 2026 16:43 - Sist endret 29. juni 2026 09:23