A brand new analysis undertaking goals to discover how microbes in deep underground storage websites might affect the success of carbon seize and storage (CCS).
Because the UK strives to achieve Web Zero emissions by 2050, safe and everlasting geological storage of CO₂ seems to be important.
Storage in deep geological formations resembling depleted oil and fuel reservoirs and saline aquifers is believed to supply a promising answer. Nonetheless, these underground environments host various microbial ecosystems, and their response to CO₂ injection stays poorly understood.
This information hole poses a possible threat to long-term CO₂ storage integrity. Whereas some microbial responses could also be helpful and improve mineralogical or organic CO₂ sequestration, others might be unfavourable, resulting in methane manufacturing, corrosion of infrastructure, or lack of injectivity.
The brand new flagship undertaking – by The College of Manchester and world vitality firm Equinor ASA – world leaders in geological CO2 storage – will examine how subsurface microbial communities reply to CO₂ injection and storage, highlighting each the potential dangers and alternatives posed by these microbes.
Principal Investigator, Prof Sophie Nixon, BBSRC David Phillips and Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow at The College of Manchester, mentioned: “Over the previous 20 years, scientists have examined storing CO₂ underground in real-world circumstances, however we nonetheless know little about how this impacts native and launched microbes residing deep beneath the floor.
“Previous studies have shown that injecting CO₂ underground actively changes microbial communities. In some cases, microbes initially decline but later recover, potentially influencing the fate of injected CO₂ in geological storage scenarios. However, these studies predate the advent of large-scale metagenomic sequencing approaches. A deep understanding of who is there, what they can do and how they respond to CO₂ storage is crucial for ensuring the long-term success of carbon capture and storage.”
The 2-year undertaking will accumulate samples from saline aquifer and oil producing websites to review how microbes residing deep underground reply to excessive concentrations of CO2 by combining geochemistry, fuel isotope evaluation, metagenomic and bioinformatic approaches.
Mission Co-Investigator, Dr Rebecca Tyne, a Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow at The College of Manchester, mentioned: “To date, Carbon Capture and Storage research has focused on the physiochemical behaviour of CO2, yet there has been little consideration of the subsurface microbial impact on CO2 storage. However, the impact of microbial processes can be significant. For instance, my research has shown that methanogenesis may modify the fluid composition and the fluid dynamics within the storage reservoir.”
Presently, the North Sea Transition Authority requires all carbon seize and storage websites to have a complete ‘Measurement, Monitoring and Verification’ technique, however microbial monitoring is just not but included in these frameworks. The undertaking’s findings will likely be shared with business stakeholders and revealed in main scientific journals, serving to to shut this crucial hole and form future operational actions.
Mission Lead, Leanne Walker, Analysis Affiliate in Subsurface Microbiology at The College of Manchester, mentioned: “This undertaking will assist us perceive the underground microbial communities affected by CO₂ storage—how they reply, the potential dangers and advantages, and the indications that reveal these modifications.
“Our findings will provide vital insights for assessing microbiological risks at both planned and active CCS sites, ensuring safer and more effective long-term CO₂ storage”.
