Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Mineral Dissolution and Precipitation
Recent experimental work has been directed toward measuring the rates of reaction of minerals with aqueous solutions. The measurements are made by complementary techniques, including
- characterization of in-situ nano-topographical evolution of mineral surfaces in flowing solutions by digital holographic microscopy. The movie below shows the real-time development of an etch pit on a (104) surface of calcite when exposed to flowing deionized water.
- monitoring reaction rates in batch reactors and mixed flow reactors
- tracking changes in surface area and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption isotherms
We are also interested in relating microstructure characteristics of porous media to engineering properties such as stiffness, strength, viscoelastic response, and fluid permeability.