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Research interests
My background is in carbonate sedimentology and diagenesis, with a focus on integration of regional, outcrop, subsurface, and laboratory data. I am particularly interested in the use of outcrop analogs and modern depositional systems to characterize carbonate reservoir. Another research focus is on microbial carbonates and my PhD project was on renewing approaches to understanding the minerals and waters at alkaline waste sites. I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Greenhouse Gas Removal. This post explores a novel method of ocean alkalinity enhancement, particularly through the creation of new materials such as ikaite. The focus of the work is on material characterisation and geochemical kinetics.
Projects
Novel method of ocean alkalinity enhancement, particularly through the creation of hydrated carbonates such as amorphous calcium carbonate & ikaite. The focus of the work is on material characterisation, geochemical kinetics and stability in air & seawater of these minerals.This technology uses high pressure CO2 (~15 bar) in an aqueous reactor to dissolve crushed limestone within minutes. The calcium rich water is passed to a low-pressure reactor (~0.1 bar) that evolves and recycles gaseous CO2 and forces the precipitation of hydrated carbonates over 30 – 80 minutes at temperatures <15°C. Experimental results suggest complete dissolution of hydrated carbonates can increase seawater alkalinity and thus potentially ameliorate the effects of ocean acidification. This technology could be scaled up to have a meaningful impact on climate change, and the costs could be comparable to other CO2 removal approaches. That is possible within the next 15 years, particularly as the raw materials are abundant.
Evaluating how carbonates from anthropogenic alkaline sites in UK are bio-influenced and how trace elements are incorporated to the crystals. Studying the fortuitous discovery of shrub morphologies in these carbonates very similar to those of the South-Atlantic Pre-Salt carbonates by petrographic analyses (Optical microscope and SEM) and relating petrographic features to processes in the field and ultimately to environments.
Looking for transient forms of calcium carbonate (amorphous calcium carbonate, vaterite, ikaite and hydrocalcite) by using field-based ATR-FTIR and XRD methods, and especially a recent discovery of ikaite from an alkaline site in UK. This discovery will involve designing an experiment for distribution coefficient of ikaite and ion substitution and finding other alkaline sites in Poland and Canada.
Assessing the alkalinity of spring water by evaluating two methods of titrations (Fixed End Point and Inflection Point methods) in terms of repeatability, accuracy, efficiency and reliability.
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