Speaker
Description
Biofilms are living, highly dynamic, microbial communities embedded in a matrix of secreted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). These complex microbial communities have a significant impact on the petrophysical properties of porous media that they colonise (Jin & Sengupta, 2024). This leads to changes in pore geometry, tortuosity, porosity, wettability, capillary pressure and saturation which, in the context of underground hydrogen storage, can lead to hydrogen trapping and reduced recovery during cyclic injection (Pasca et al., 2015; Jangda et al., 2022; Raza et al., 2022).
This interdisciplinary project employs anaerobic and selective culturing techniques to effectively grow and cultivate relevant biofilm forming isolates. Batch experiments run under representative reservoir conditions with relevant strains and enrichment cultures will provide a time-resolved look at gas consumption and microbial activity over time. X-ray micro-CT imaging will be utilised to look inside inoculated cores without destroying them. Digital analysis of the scanned cores will allow for the observation of changes in multiphase flow in these rock-hydrogen-brine-biofilm systems and determine what impact biofilms could have on hydrogen recovery.
| References | Pasca et al., 2015; Jangda et al., 2022; Raza et al., 2022; Jin & Sengupta, 2024 |
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| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
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