Aquifer-CO2 leak project: Physicochemical characterization of the CO2 leakage impact on a carbonate shallow freshwater aquifer

• Published in: International journal of greenhouse gas control Vol. 106; p. 103231
• Main Authors: Petit, Anélia, Cerepi, Adrian, Loisy, Corinne, Le Roux, Olivier, Rossi, Léna, Estublier, Audrey, Gance, Julien, Garcia, Bruno, Hautefeuille, Benoit, Lavielle, Bernard, Brichart, Thomas, Noirez, Sonia, Martin, Frédéric, Texier, Benoit, Kennedy, Sean, EL Khamlichi, Aïcha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: CO2 geological storage; CO2 leakage monitoring; CO2-rock-water interactions; Earth Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Field experiment; Global Changes; Sciences of the Universe; Shallow carbonate freshwater aquifer; CO2-rock-water interactions; Shallow carbonate freshwater aquifer; CO2 leakage monitoring; Field experiment; CO2 geological storage; field experiment
• ISSN: 1750-5836; 1878-0148
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijggc.2020.103231

•An induced CO2 leak was realized into the freshwater carbonate aquifer of Saint-Emilion (Gironde, France).•Electrical conductivity, pH, Ca2+, HCO3− and CO2(aq) concentrations are excellent indicators for monitoring a CO2 gas plume.•In the injection well, a slight trend to dissolution of calcite is observed, linked to the reaction between CO2-H2O-CaCO3.•In the seven observation wells, a transport process is emphasized via diffusion.•The physicogeochemical signature of the aquifer highlights the reactive and transport processes in a CO2 leakage context.
This work is part of the Aquifer CO2-Leak project and aims to understand, quantify and model the environmental impact of a CO2 leak on water quality in the carbonate freshwater aquifer as well as CO2-water-carbonate interactions. The experiment has been performed within an Oligocene carbonate underground quarry located in Saint-Emilion (France).
A water charged with dissolved CO2 was injected in the aquifer through a borehole. Downstream, seven wells were fitted with in-situ probes which automatically measured physicochemical parameters. Periodic water samplings in all wells have been undertaken to determine the elemental concentrations by ion chromatography.
The spread of CO2 in the groundwater was monitored as a function of time and was observed to influence the various physicochemical parameters. Five parameters seem to be excellent indicators for monitoring a gas plume during CO2 geological storage in regard to our results: electrical conductivity and pH, and Ca2+, HCO3−, and CO2(aq) concentrations.
The interaction between CO2 and limestone is highlighted by a saturation index (SI) calculated with PhreeqC software. It shows (i) a slight trend to dissolution of calcite in the injection well (SI < 0) linked to the reaction process between CO2-H2O-CaCO3 and (ii) a transport process via diffusion for the observation wells with a SI≃0.
The evolution of physicogeochemical signatures in the aquifer allows us to understand the reactive and transport processes that occur during the migration of a gasified water plume in the context of leakage from a geological storage reservoir. Our results will make possible to model a leakage in a complex natural reservoir.