This study explores engineered precipitation-induced sealing barriers as an alternative strategy. Although precipitation has traditionally been treated as an operational impairment because it reduces permeability and restricts flow, it can instead be used as a controllable mechanism to deliberately occlude pore space and construct low-permeability barriers for subsurface containment. By separately injecting two incompatible ionic solutions that precipitate upon contact, in-situ mineral formation can be localized within a designed mixing zone, producing a low-permeability geo-barrier.
The central research question is how the coupled reaction–transport–poromechanical processes control the formation rate, thickness, hydraulic conductivity, and long-term integrity of the precipitation layer. The goal is to establish predictive relationships between injection conditions and geobarrier properties, enabling design criteria for durable engineered geo-barriers.
Publications
- Kim, D., Awarke, M., Younis, R., Kim, K. (2026). Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Geo-barrier Formation: Permeability and Thickness Evolution under Transverse Mixing and Precipitation. (Under Review).
- Cao, W., Younis, R. M., Kim, K., Lu, J. (2025). Structure and permeability of Barite precipitation layers formed by transverse mixing in Berea sandstone: Direct observations and modeling. Geophysical Research Letters, 52(23).