Reactive transport modeling of CO2 trapping in carbonate saline aquifers: Coupled effects of wettability, temperature, and salinity on mineralization and storage efficiency
Khoramian R. Issakhov M. Pourafshary P. Aidarova S. Sharipova A.
15 February 2026Elsevier Ltd
Fuel
2026#406
Secure long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in saline aquifers requires a clear understanding of how reservoir conditions and geochemical reactions influence rock properties and trapping mechanisms. While the individual effects of wettability, temperature, and salinity have been examined, their combined impact, particularly under varying wettability states where hysteresis controls phase behavior, remains insufficiently quantified. This study employs reactive transport modeling to assess the effects of temperature (50–90 °C), salinity (70,000–210,000 ppm NaCl), and wettability on CO2 mineralization, dissolution, and capillary trapping in carbonate-rich formations. Geochemical reactions involving calcite, kaolinite, and anorthite are modeled using transition state theory, while water-wet and mixed-wet conditions are represented through relative permeability and capillary pressure curves that capture wettability-dependent flow behavior. Mineralization increases from ∼ 4.4 × 106 to ∼ 1.3 × 107 mol in mixed-wet systems from 50 °C to 90 °C, while capillary trapping decreases from ∼ 67 % to ∼ 54 % (water-wet) and ∼ 48 % to ∼ 36 % (mixed-wet), and dissolution rises to > 30 %. At 90 °C, increasing salinity shifts CO2 plumes from vertically elongated, dissolution-dominant (∼36 %) in mixed-wet to laterally confined, capillary-dominant (∼82 %) in water-wet systems, governed by hysteresis (0.2 vs. 0.35). Calcite precipitation declines by ∼ 22 % (water-wet) with temperature and by ∼ 14 % with salinity, while kaolinite precipitation triples and anorthite dissolution varies from − 25 % to + 90 % depending on wettability. Over 60 years, porosity and permeability increase modestly by ∼ 0.36 % and ∼ 1.22 %. These findings clarify how wettability-driven interfacial dynamics influence mineralization and phase trapping, providing mechanistic guidance for optimizing CO2 storage performance across diverse reservoir settings.
CO2 sequestration , Hysteresis , Mineralization , Reactive transport , Saline aquifers , Wettability
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School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Satbayev University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
School of Mining and Geosciences
Kazakh-British Technical University
Satbayev University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026