Reactive Transport Dynamics in Porous Media

Reactive transport in porous media refers to the intertwined processes of fluid flow, solute movement and chemical reaction within interconnected pore networks of rock or sediment. Variations in pore structure, from uniform matrices to complex fracture systems, govern local differences in flow velocity, transport pathways and reactive surface exposure. Chemical reactions such as mineral dissolution, precipitation and sorption continuously reshape pore geometry, altering porosity and permeability and feeding back on transport. Advances in high‐resolution imaging (for example X-ray microtomography) and numerical methods (lattice‐Boltzmann, pore‐network, continuum models) now enable direct characterisation and simulation of evolving pore‐scale processes. These insights underpin predictive models for large-scale phenomena ranging from geological carbon sequestration and contaminant remediation to enhanced oil recovery and karst formation. Achieving robust, multiscale coupling of hydraulic, chemical and thermal effects remains a central challenge for accurate forecasting and engineering of subsurface systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have elucidated mechanisms by which hydrothermal carbon dioxide-rich fluids sculpt extensive karst networks via retrograde solubility. Conceptual hydro-thermo-geochemical simulations reproduce field-scale cave geometries and maze-like passage development within carbonate formations, highlighting the role of rising hot fluids in hypogenic karstogenesis and its implications for carbon cycling. Another strand of work has combined pore-scale reactive transport modelling with classical nucleation theory to reveal how homogeneous and heterogeneous precipitation kinetics, controlled by local solute concentration and interface properties, drive evolving porosity and permeability. Such multiscale frameworks bridge atomistic processes and macroscopic observations, demonstrating that accurate macroscopic predictions demand incorporation of microscale precipitation dynamics.

Reactive Transport Dynamics in Porous Media publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in reactive transport dynamics in porous media across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Porous media: A solid material containing an interconnected network of void spaces through which fluids and solutes move.

Reactive transport: The coupled processes of fluid flow, solute advection and diffusion, and chemical reactions within a porous medium.

Porosity: The fraction of void volume relative to the total volume of a porous medium, determining its fluid storage capacity.

Permeability: A measure of a porous medium’s ability to transmit fluid, influenced by pore size distribution and connectivity.

Péclet number: A dimensionless ratio comparing advective transport rate to diffusive transport rate of solute in a flow field.

Damköhler number: A dimensionless ratio of chemical reaction rate to transport rate, indicating whether reaction kinetics or transport controls system behaviour.

References

1. Carbon Mineralization in Fractured Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks: A Review. Reviews of Geophysics (2024).
2. Reservoir condition imaging of reactive transport in heterogeneous carbonates using fast synchrotron tomography — Effect of initial pore structure and flow conditions. Chemical Geology (2016).
3. Simulation of mineral dissolution at the pore scale with evolving fluid-solid interfaces: review of approaches and benchmark problem set. Computational Geosciences (2020).
4. Cooling of hydrothermal fluids rich in carbon dioxide can create large karst cave systems in carbonate rocks. Communications Earth & Environment (2023).
5. Deciphering pore-level precipitation mechanisms. Scientific Reports (2017).