Mineral Dissolution/Precipitation in Carbonate Rocks: Risks Posed by Climate Change-Induced Acidic Flow
Publication: Geo-Extreme 2021
ABSTRACT
The anthropogenic emission of industrial pollutants (e.g., nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide) is the main cause of acidic rain and climate change related problems. In addition, the extreme precipitations caused by climate change can facilitate the migration of contaminant and acidic fluid flow. The interaction between the acidic fluids and the soluble (e.g., carbonate based) rocks induces mineral dissolution/precipitation. The exposure of limestone rock to the acidic rain/contaminant can cause significant levels of calcite dissolution, which in turn can induce land surface depression. In addition, the dissolution of the carbonate rocks in the dam foundation can have detrimental effects such as excessive settlement and compromised structural integrity. The dissolution/precipitation of minerals can significantly change the porosity and permeability of the porous medium, which consequently changes the seepage regime in the dam foundation. In this study, the porosity and permeability evolution of a carbonate-based rock were evaluated by flowing the acidic fluid through the limestone specimen. In addition, the variation of the rock strength upon exposure to the acidic environment was investigated using the Multi-Stage Elastic (MSE) experiments. The X-ray Micro CT was used to perform the porosity analysis before and after injecting the acidic fluid. The results indicated that the mineral dissolution/precipitation increased the permeability of the limestone specimen by more than one order of magnitude (~13.2 times). On the other hand, the average Young’s modulus of the limestone specimen decreased by ~28% during the MSE experiment at confining pressure of 7.5 MPa.
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Geo-Extreme 2021
Pages: 155 - 166
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: Nov 4, 2021
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