Les carbonates microporeux sont caractérisés par une importante hétérogénéité de faciès (texture, composition) qui se traduit généralement par une très grande variation des (1) propriétés physiques (porosité, perméabilité, vitesses acoustiques), et (2) du comportement mécanique. Ces hétérogénéités rendent souvent difficile les prédictions en termes de stockage géologique, de qualité de porosité ou perméabilité des réservoirs d'eau souterraine ou d'hydrocarbures lors de l'exploration ou production. Cette étude intégrée apporte de nouveaux éléments de réflexion quant aux facteurs de contrôles microstructuraux sur les propriétés physiques et mécaniques des roches carbonatées microporeuses.(1) Une centaine d'échantillons de carbonates a été prélevée tous les 2m environ le long du forage EST205 au niveau de la plate-forme oxfordienne de Meuse/Haute-Marne. Un objectif appliqué de ce travail, vise à mieux contraindre les variations verticales des propriétés pétrophysiques et pétrographiques qui régissent en grande partie les circulations aquifères actuelles dans cette formation. D'un point de vue fondamental, un résultat majeur est la mise au point d'une nouvelle méthode de rock-typing pour les réservoirs microporeux, et l'établissement d'un lien entre matrice micritique et les propriétés physiques. Les propriétés de transport (perméabilité, conductivité électrique) sont grandement influencées par la réduction ou l'augmentation progressive de la microporosité intercristalline selon le type de matrice micritique considéré. L'augmentation des vitesses d'ondes acoustiques peut être vue comme le reflet d'une cimentation progressive des particules de micrites, qui rend l'ensemble de la matrice plus rigide et cohérente. La dispersion des valeurs de vitesses est expliquée grâce à la théorie de la poroélasticité. Les calculs réalisés avec les équations de Biot-Gassmann [Biot, 1956 ; Gassmann, 1951] mettent en évidence une population de microcracks (crack porosity), qui affecte les vitesses de propagation des ondes. Enfin, une origine possible des niveaux poreux oxfordiens est une dissolution précoce des particules de micrites via la circulation d'eau météorique sous saturée par rapport à la calcite, lors de courtes phases d'émersion de la plate-forme.(2) La vitesse de propagation des ondes P dans la formation de l'Oolithe Blanche (Grainstone Oolithique, Jurassique Moyen, Basin de Paris) est très largement contrôlée par la structure de l'espace poreux (porosité annulaire ou uniforme dans les grains ; Type A) et par la présence ou l'absence d'un ciment isopaque autour des grains (Type B) (Makhloufi et al., 2013 ; Casteleyn et al., 2010, 2011). Plusieurs essais de déformation triaxiale ont été réalisées sur des échantillons de Type A et B afin d'investiguer le rôle de telles microstructures sur la réponse mécanique des roches carbonatées poreuses. Cette étude est essentielle à la compréhension générale de l'Oolithe Blanche, qui présente un fort potentiel géothermique et représente une cible potentielle pour la séquestration de CO2.Les échantillons comparés présentent des textures et faciès équivalent (porportion de ciment de blocage, granulométrie), ainsi que des propriétés pétrophysiques très similaire (porosité, perméabilité) ; afin que le paramètre microstructural soit le seul à varier.Deux comportements distincts sont mis en évidence :Type A: les échantillons avec une microporosité uniforme dans les grains ont un comportement ductile, tandis que les échantillons à porosité annulaire sont caractéristiques du domaine fragile.Type B: les échantillons avec des ciments isopaques autour des grains ont un comportement fragile. En revanche, les échantillons dépourvu de tels ciments présentent un comportement mécanique relevant plus du domaine ductile.Ces résultats montrent que les structures de porosité et les ciments jouent un rôle important sur la réponse mécanique des roches carbonatées microporeuses. / This integrated study provides significant insight into parameters controlling (1) the acoustic and reservoir properties of microporous limestone and (2) the mechanical behavior of such rocks. This work improves the knowledge of the relationships among rock physic and rock mechanic on one hand, and the microstructural content on the other hand.(1) Petrophysical properties measured from laboratory and logging tools (porosity, permeability, electrical conductivity and acoustic properties) have been coupled with thin section and SEM observations on the EST205 borehole from the Oxfordian limestone aquifer of the Eastern part of the Paris Basin. A major achievement is the establishment of the link between micrite microtexture types (particle morphology and nature of inter-crystal contacts) and the physical response. Fluid-flow properties are enhanced by the progressive augmentation of intercrystalline microporosity and associated pore throat diameter, as the coalescence of micrite particle decreases between relatively coarser tight morphologies and microporous morphologies. The slow increase of P-wave velocity can be seen as a reflection of crystal size and growing contact cementation leading to a more cohesive and stiffer micrite microtexture. By applying poroelasticity theory on our samples, we show that velocity dispersion can be a very useful tool for data discrimination in carbonates. Finally, a possible origin of high porous levels in neritic limestones is a mineralogical dissolution of carbonates through freshwater-related diagenesis during subaerial exposure time.(2) Regarding rock mechanic, conventional triaxial experiments were performed on samples from the Oolithe Blanche formation (Middle Jurassic Limestone, Paris basin) to investigate the effect of different microstructural parameter on the mechanical behavior of microporous carbonate rocks. Type A samples display two different microporosity distributions within the grains (uniform versus rimmed microporosity) and type B samples are based on the presence/absence of an isopachous cement around the ooids. This work is of primary importance since the Oolithe Blanche formation, a deep saline aquifer, is a possible target for CO2 sequestration and geothermal production in the center of the Paris Basin. Experiments were performed under saturated state with respectively two sets of experimental conditions: (1) a 5 MPa pore pressure and a 28 MPa confining pressure with a temperature of 55°C for Type A carbonates to mimic in-situ conditions in the Center of the Paris Basin; and (2) a 0.5 MPa pore pressure and a 1.5 MPa confining pressure for Type B samples. Sample types have similar facies and composition (oolithic microporous grainstone with a 500µm average grain size), and porosity ranges from 17% to 20%. Permeability values are also very similar and range from 10-2 mD to 10-1 mD.(1) Type A samples with a rimmed porosity display a typical behavior of the brittle failure regime with stress-strain curves reaching a peak (138 MPa) beyond which strain softening was recorded, and strain localization on a shear fracture. (2) Type A samples with a uniform porosity display a ductile behavior with no localization of the deformation.(2) Type B samples with isopachous cement show a brittle behavior with stress drop (16 MPa to 18 MPa) and localization on a shear fracture. When isopachous cements are absent, a more ductile type of behavior is observed. Our set of data suggests that those two microstructural parameters have a significant control on the mechanical behavior of carbonate rocks.

Le progrès dans le domaine du génie civil n’aurait pas été possible sans le développement de nouveaux matériaux. En fait, les nouveaux matériaux avec des propriétés performantes ont permis la construction de structures modernes, de plus grands bâtiments, de plus grands ponts…etc. En outre, il est important de continuer le progrès et le développement des matériaux dans le futur. En particulier, dans l'approche des constructions intelligentes, nous aurons besoin de nouveaux matériaux aux propriétés très performantes. L'étude des propriétés des matériaux, à l'échelle moléculaire, permet une meilleure compréhension de la façon dont ces matériaux fonctionnent et réagissent à un niveau macro. C’est grâce à de tells études que nous sommes en mesure de comprendre leurs comportements sous des conditions variables. Dans cette thèse, nous focalisons nos efforts sur trois types de matériaux. Le premier est le carbonate de zinc. Le second est la chaux, qui est largement utilisée dans le domaine de la construction et les travaux publics; et le dernier est l'oxyde de zinc, qui est un matériau important pour les constructions en acier. Notre but est d'étudier en détail ces trois différents matériaux à diverses pressions et à compositions variables par la méthode de prédiction de structures basée sur l’approche ab initio. Pour la smithsonite, un bon nombre de propriétés mécaniques a été évalué. Nous montrons notamment que ce système est plus dur et plus rigide que les autres carbonates. En outre, l'étude de ses propriétés électroniques révèle que l'énergie de la bande interdite est assez proche de certains semi-conducteurs. Par ailleurs, deux transitions de phase à haute pression ont été trouvées: la première à 87 GPa et la seconde à 121 GPa. En dessous de 87 GPa, ZnCO3 est stable sous la structure de groupe d’espace R-3c (structure de calcite); et entre 78 GPa et 121 GPa, ZnCO3 se stabilise sous une autre structure dont le groupe d'espace est C2/m (structure de magnésite phase II). Au-delà de 121 GPa, nous montrons que la nouvelle structure de groupe d'espace P212121 devient la plus stable. Par ailleurs, en utilisant la méthode de prédiction de structure –composition variable- basée sur l’approche ab initio, nous montrons que le système Ca-O pourraient se stabiliser sous de nouvelles compositions chimiques autres que le CaO. À pression ambiante, CaO2 est prédit comme étant un système thermodynamiquement stable. Ce nouveau composé passe de la structure de groupe d’espace C2/c à celle de groupe d’espace I4/mcm à 18.5GPa. En augmentant la pression, d'autres composés deviennent plus stables tels que CaO3 qui se stabilise dans la structure de groupe d'espace P-421m à partir de 65 GPa. Enfin, nos études sur ZnO montrent que ZnO2 devient thermodynamiquement stable à une pression supérieure à 120 GPa. Une transition de phase est obtenue à 10 GPa pour ZnO, qui est stable dans la structure wurtzite B4 dans des conditions ambiantes et jusqu'à 10GPa. Au-delà de 10 GPa, ZnO devient plus stable dans une structure de type B1. Ces résultats confortent nos prédictions puisqu’ils s’accordent parfaitement avec les travaux expérimentaux et théoriques précédents. / The civil engineering progress would not been possible without new materials development. In fact, new materials with efficient properties allowed the construction of modern structures, taller building, longer bridges,…etc. Furthermore, it is essential for the progress continuity of this field in the future. Especially, in the smart construction approach we will need new materials with the very efficient properties. The study of the properties of materials at the molecular level, allow a better understanding of how those materials will function and react on a macro level. It is through such studies that we are able to understand their behaviors under a large number of conditions. In this thesis, we focus our efforts on three types of materials. The first one is zinc carbonate. The second one is Lime, which is widely used in building and public works ; and the last one is zinc oxide, which is an important material for steel construction. The purpose here is to investigate in details the three different materials at various pressures and variable compositions by means of the universal structure prediction method based on ab initio tool. For smithsonite, a number of mechanical properties were evaluated. We mainly show that this system is harder and more rigid than the other carbonates. Besides, the investigation of its electronic properties reveals that the energy band-gap is close enough to some semiconductors. Moreover, two high-pressure phase transitions have been found: the first one at 87 GPa and second one at 121 GPa. Below 87 GPa, ZnCO3 is found to be the most stable structure with R-3c space group (calcite structure); and between 78 GPa and 121 GPa, ZnCO3 has another structure (magnesite phase II) with C2/m space group. Above 121 GPa, we show that new structure with P212121 space group becomes more stable. In addition, by means of variable composition ab initio evolutionary algorithm, we show surprisingly new stable compounds from Ca-O. At ambient pressure CaO2 is predicted as a thermodynamically stable system. This new compound goes from C2/c to I4/mcm space group structure at 18.5GPa. Under increasing pressure, further compounds become stable such as CaO3 which stabilize in P-421m space group structure above 65 GPa. Finally, our studies on ZnO show that ZnO2 becomes thermodynamically stable at pressure above 120 GPa. A phase transition is obtained at 10 GPa for ZnO, which is stable in B4 wurtzite structure at ambient conditions up to 10GPa. Above 10 GPa, ZnO becomes more stable in B1 structure. These results strongly support our predictions since they agree perfectly with available experiment and previous theoretical studies.

Intrashelf basins occurring on epeiric carbonate platforms are commonly associated with the presence of excellent carbonate source rocks, and because they often border potential carbonate reservoirs updip, they may form the core of rich petroleum systems. This is a common phenomenon of many Mesozoic hydrocarbon plays in the Middle East. Despite this fact, studies investigating intrashelf-basinal, fine-grained carbonates are rare, because it is assumed that little lithofacies variability is present in these successions as a consequence of their relatively homogeneous appearance where they are sampled in core or visited in exposures. Those that have been performed mostly lack process-detail analyses, and interpret the organic-carbon enrichment in these sediments to be simply a function of either occurrence of localised bottom-water anoxia or high primary organic production under low-energy conditions, dominated by suspension-settling events.

Composites, in which the matrix and the reinforcing fillers are respectively, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with two different molecular weights, and chitin whiskers (CHW) were successfully prepared using an evaporation method. The weight fraction of CHW was varied from 0.03 to 0.73. Mechanical and thermal properties and crystallinity of the composites were characterised using tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The tensile strength of the composite increased up to 11 wt % CHW after which it decreased. XRD characterisation showed a decrease in crystalline index, crystalline size, chitin crystalline peak and intensity as the content of PAA and its molecular weight increased. Raman spectroscopy was used for the first time to monitor the deformation of chitin film and CHW reinforced PAA composites. The Raman band located at 1622 cm^(-1) was monitored for deformation. On application of tensile deformation the Raman band initially located at 1622 cm^(-1) shifted toward a lower wavenumber. Raman band shift rates of -1.85 cm^(-1)/% for chitin film and -0.59 and -0.25 cm^(-1)/% for 73 and 23 wt % CHW content, respectively, were measured. The modulus of a single chitin whisker and composites were found to be 115, 37 and 16 GPa respectively, for a two dimensional (2D) in-plane distribution of CHW. CHW within a PAA matrix did not show any preferential alignment in a polarised Raman. The Raman intensity ratio〖 I〗_1698 /I_1622 showed that the strongest interaction of the carboxylic group in the composites occured at 3 wt % CHW content. The interaction gradually reduced as the CHW content increased. 〖 CaCO〗_3 crystals were grown in CHW, PAA and CHW/PAA composites by a solution and evaporation casting method. In the absence of PAA and CHW, rhombohedral calcites were observed while rod-like aragonite polymorphs were seen when only PAA was used as a template. In the presence of only CHW, a morphological mixture of ellipsoidal and disc shape with traces of rhombohedral aggregate calcite were the features. In the presence of both PAA and CHW, the rhombohedral shape showed roughness with irregular faces while the vaterite polymorph continued to agglomerate with the observation of porosity at higher CHW content. The vaterite particles gradually decreased as the CHW content was decreased. At lower CHW content aragonite polymorph growth was favoured to the detriment of calcite. The results showed that the vaterite polymorph can be grown even at higher filler loading. The effect of 〖 CaCO〗_3 growth on the mechanical properties of CHW reinforced PAA indicated that better mechanical properties can be achieved at a CHW content of 3 wt % when compared with neat PAA and when 〖 CaCO〗_3 was not incorporated into the CHW/25PAA composites.

The primary objective of this research was to determine if changes in iron availability influence the periodicity of blue-green algal growth. A secondary goal was to resolve how iron availability was related to events such as calcite (calcium carbonate) precipitation and sediment nutrient release. The biogeochemical regulation of blue-green algal succession was studied in three eutrophic hardwater lakes located upon the Thompson Plateau in south-central British Columbia. The experimental approaches included iri situ bottle and limnocorral experiments, sediment core analysis, monitoring of seasonal changes in water chemistry, and whole-lake manipulation by hypolimnetic aeration, or calcium hydroxide addition. Growth and primary production bioassays were used to evaluate iron availability. Microbial chelators were isolated from algal cultures and lake water, quantified by a chelation assay, and used to determine their in situ effects on algal productivity and bacterial heterotrophy. Microbes were able to regulate the bioavailability of iron. Algal siderophore isolates were rapidly assimilated in lake water and they were highly specific for iron chelation. Moreover, chelator concentrations in Black Lake usually exceeded the dissolved iron concentration. Algae excreted chelators that could suppress growth of some other species of algae by 90%, enhance the primary production of some other algal species by 30%, or suppress the heterotrophic activity of bacteria by 14-98%. The degree of iron limitation varied greatly during the summer. In Black Lake, iron limitation was more than ten-fold more intense in early summer than in late summer. Dense blooms of blue-green algae occurred in Black Lake only after the iron content of the lake increased from 20 to more than 100 ug/L. An increase in iron concentration in the water column of the three lakes was caused by a midsummer sediment release of iron. Although sediment pyrite formation converted available iron into refractory iron in both Chain and Frisken lakes, the degree of iron limitation varied greatly among the lakes. Unlike in Black Lake, the algae in Chain Lake were not limited by iron availability. Phosphorus solubility was a good index of iron availability. Black and Frisken lakes had too little iron for iron phosphate to precipitate, but the higher iron concentration in Chain Lake regulated phosphorus solubility. The differences among lakes was primarily a function of external iron loading, not sediment iron release. Chain Lake received 10³ more iron per m² than Frisken or Black lakes. Carbonate equilibria integrated the microbial responses to iron enrichment. When iron availability was increased in the epilimnion of Black Lake, algal productivity was enhanced which resulted in an increase in pH and the coprecipitation of more calcite and phosphorus than in control treatments. The precipitation of calcite could sediment as much as 90% of the algae and 97% of the phosphorus from the epilimnion. The hypolimnia of the iron-enriched limnocorrals had the lowest pH and highest dissolution of precipitated phosphorus. Three reactions, iron chelation, sediment iron release, and calcite precipitation, can regulate much of the periodicity of blue-green algal growth in hardwater lakes. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Lithium is one of the most strategically important minerals at the time of writing. The demand for lithium and lithium compounds to be used in lithium-ion batteries is increasing day by day. Zimbabwe possesses a considerable resource of lithium ore, estimated at 23 000 mt Li. Beneficiation of this lithium ore could indeed be a very promising business in the near future. This work focuses on processing of petalite concentrate from the Bikita deposit in Zimbabwe for production of Li2CO3, with subsequent preparation of LiF and LiCl. Analysis performed on the petalite showed that the average Li2O content is 4.10 %. The extraction method used involves roasting the pre-heated concentrate with concentrated H2SO4 followed by water leaching of the resulting Li2SO4, solution purification and precipitation of Li2CO3 with subsequent preparation of LiF and LiCl. Investigation of the roasting and leaching showed that the dissolution rates are significantly influenced by roasting temperature and stirring speed. 97.3 % optimum rate of extraction was attained at 320 rpm and roasting temperature of 300 C. Water-washed lithium carbonate with a purity of 99.21 %( metal basis) and an average particle size of 1.4 ìm was produced. Good quality LiF and LiCl can be produced with purity of 99.36 % and 99.02 % respectively. The pH, concentration and agitation have a great influence on the morphology of the precipitated LiF. Lower pH values and optimum concentration of the Li2CO3 solution results in smaller particle size. High recovery of 96.53 % LiF was realised. Anhydrous LiCl was found to absorb moisture when exposed to air at ambient temperature. The synthesised LiCl melts at 606.2 C with a corresponding enthalpy of fusion of 18.4 kJ mol-1, close to the values reported in the literature. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Orientador: Rosângela Barros Zanoni Lopes Moreno / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica e Instituto de Geociências / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-28T12:56:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dominguez_LuciaGarcia_M.pdf: 8169227 bytes, checksum: 3b6d0e210f4dc8a2db3d9f8b9f93f6c0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: A capacidade de armazenamento de hidrocarbonetos no reservatório depende do tipo de rocha e da estrutura dos poros. Uma das propriedades rocha-fluido mais estudadas é a permeabilidade relativa, ou seja, a medida da resistência ao escoamento que um fluido apresenta na presença de outro. A permeabilidade relativa é essencial para a avaliação dos processos de recuperação de hidrocarbonetos e previsão do escoamento multifásico de fluidos através do reservatório. A permeabilidade relativa depende de outros parâmetros que têm sido estudados por especialistas durante os últimos anos, como saturação dos fluidos, molhabilidade, tensão interfacial, estrutura porosa, temperatura, heterogeneidades e vazão de deslocamento. Em relação ao efeito da vazão de deslocamento na permeabilidade relativa, muitas pesquisas têm sido realizadas sem conseguir um acordo. Por tanto, a principal motivação deste estudo é a falta de conformidade na literatura. O foco do trabalho é encontrar se existe dependência da permeabilidade relativa com a vazão e avaliar este efeito em óleos de diferentes viscosidades. Foram realizados quinze testes de deslocamento em regime transiente a temperatura e vazão constantes. Os experimentos de laboratório foram executados com três plugues, cortados a partir de uma amostra única de rocha carbonática e saturados com três óleos de viscosidades diferentes, respetivamente. Foram utilizadas três vazões diferentes para cada amostra, que correspondem aos valores mínimo, máximo e intermediário de acordo o critério de dos Santos et al (1997) que visa balancear as forças viscosas, capilares e gravitacionais. Estas vazões foram variadas começando pela maior e diminuindo até a menor e posteriormente revertendo o ciclo, para observar se a sequência seguida influencia nos resultados. A análise dos resultados foi realizada mediante o método de Johnson-Bossler-Naumann para calcular as permeabilidades relativas ao óleo e à água. Sob as condições dos testes realizados, observou-se que as saturações e permeabilidades dos pontos terminais bem como as curvas de permeabilidade relativa, dependem da vazão. Além disso, pode-se observar que as variações foram diferentes dependendo da viscosidade do óleo utilizado. Deste modo, o óleo de menor viscosidade sempre se comportou de modo contrário ao de maior viscosidade e a mistura dos outros dois teve um comportamento intermediário. Este comportamento tem sido atribuído, nos óleos mais viscosos, a um aumento no ângulo de contato e consequente diminuição do número capilar em resposta à vazão mais elevada. Já nos óleos menos viscosos, a vazão não altera significativamente o ângulo de contato e, portanto, o número capilar aumenta com a vazão. Estas diferenças na variação do número capilar, dependendo do óleo utilizado, podem gerar as tendências diferentes nos resultados e explicar o desacordo na literatura / Abstract: The storability of hydrocarbons in the reservoir is dependent upon the rock formation and the pore structures. One of the main important rock-fluid property is the relative permeability, a measure of the flow resistance of one fluid in the presence of another one into the rock. Relative permeability depends on other parameters which have been studied by researchers during the years like fluid properties and saturation, wettability, interfacial tension, porous structure, temperature, heterogeneity and flow rate. Many researchers have focused on flow rate influence in relative permeability curves without obtaining agreement. Therefore, the main motivation for this study is the lack of conformity in the literature. The focus of the work is to find whether there is dependence of relative permeability with the flow and evaluate this effect in oils of different viscosities. Fifteen transient displacement tests were performed at constant temperature and flow rate. The laboratory experiments were performed with three plugs, cut from a single sample of carbonate rock and saturated with three fluids of different viscosities, respectively. Three different flow rates were used for each sample, corresponding to the minimum, maximum and intermediate according to dos Santos et al criterion (1997) which aims to balance the viscous, capillary and gravitational forces. These flow rates were varied starting with the largest and decreasing to the smallest, and subsequently reversing the cycle, to see if the next sequence influences the results. Experimental results were analyzed using JBN method (Johnson-Bossler-Naumann) to calculate oil and water relative permeability curves. Under the studied circumstances, it was observed that the end point saturations and permeabilities and the relative permeability curves depend on the flow rate. Moreover, variations were different depending on the viscosity of the oil used. Thus, the lower viscosity oil will always behave in a contrary manner to the higher viscosity and the mixture of the other two had an intermediate performance. This behavior has been attributed, for more viscous oils, to an increment in contact angle and thus diminution in the capillary number in response to the higher flow. Nevertheless in lower viscous oils, the flow rate does not alter significantly the contact angle and thus the capillary number increases with flow rate. These differences in the variation of the capillary number depending on the oil used may generate the differences on the results trends and explain the disagreement in the literature / Mestrado / Reservatórios e Gestão / Mestra em Ciências e Engenharia de Petróleo

京都大学 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(工学) / 乙第13408号 / 論工博第4194号 / 新制||工||1762(附属図書館) / (主査)教授 安部 武志, 教授 作花 哲夫, 教授 阿部 竜 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

abstract: The potential of using bio-geo-chemical processes for applications in geotechnical engineering has been widely explored in order to overcome the limitation of traditional ground improvement techniques. Biomineralization via urea hydrolysis, referred to as Microbial or Enzymatic Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP/EICP), has been shown to increase soil strength by stimulating precipitation of calcium carbonate minerals, bonding soil particles and filling the pores. Microbial Induced Desaturation and Precipitation (MIDP) via denitrification has also been studied for its potential to stabilize soils through mineral precipitation, but also through production of biogas, which can mitigate earthquake induced liquefaction by desaturation of the soil. Empirical relationships have been established, which relate the amount of products of these biochemical processes to the engineering properties of treated soils. However, these engineering properties may vary significantly depending on the biomineral and biogas formation mechanism and distribution patterns at pore-scale. This research focused on the pore-scale characterization of biomineral and biogas formations in porous media. The pore-scale characteristics of calcium carbonate precipitation via EICP and biogenic gas formation via MIDP were explored by visual observation in a transparent porous media using a microfluidic chip. For this purpose, an imaging system was designed and image processing algorithms were developed to analyze the experimental images and detect the nucleation and growth of precipitated minerals and formation and migration mechanisms of gas bubbles within the microfluidic chip. Statistical analysis was performed based on the processed images to assess the evolution of biomineral size distribution, the number of precipitated minerals and the porosity reduction in time. The resulting images from the biomineralization study were used in a numerical simulation to investigate the relation between the mineral distribution, porosity-permeability relationships and process efficiency. By comparing biogenic gas production with abiotic gas production experiments, it was found that the gas formation significantly affects the gas distribution and resulting degree of saturation. The experimental results and image analysis provide insight in the kinetics of the precipitation and gas formation processes and their resulting distribution and related engineering properties. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2019

A Master thesis about the Garpenberg deposit located in Bergslagen, a lithotectonic domain, with a mining history that might date back as far as 350 BC. Marble- and skarn-hosted sulfide deposits are found in the area, which creates the opportunity to mine both limestone and sulfidic ore in a single mine. Garpenberg is such a location hence this thesis, which aims to quantify the factors governing spectrophotometric lightness in marble at the Dammjön ore body. The work is mainly based on five drill cores which were logged and sampled. A total of twenty-seven samples were characterized using lithogeochemical analysis and thin-section analysis. The amount of Acid Insoluble Residue (AIR), magnetic minerals and the spectrophotometric lightness were determined for the same samples. The calcite marble was divided into seven different varieties; 1) calcite marble breccia, 2) light, 3) grey, 4) green, 5) banded salmon pink, 6) ophicalcite and 7) spotted calcite marble. The dolomite marble is white to grey in color and skarn minerals are common and varies between 5-20 vol.%. Grey and light calcite marble are the varieties with the highest spectrophotometric lightness, and it could be shown that the lightness increases with a decreasing amount of titanium, aluminum and zirconium which are chemical proxies for mineralogical impurities of originally volcaniclastic origin. High-quality calcite marble is a potentially economic by-product at the Garpenberg mine, the lightest samples are nearly as light as the light standard used during analysis (92.45 out of 100%). The lightest marble is also the chemically most pure which means that the calcium oxide (CaO) and total-carbon content are high. Key geological factors detrimental to lightness and purity are the primary composition, which is determined by the admixture of volcaniclastic material in the limestone precursor. Hydrothermal alteration with the addition of silicates, sulfides and oxides forms a halo around the massive sulfide lenses. Dolomite marble, which is more proximal to ore, is richer in manganese and sulfides, and not as light as the calcite marble at Dammsjön.