In many engineering processes at the water-energy nexus, we often observe calcium carbonate (CaCO3) formation, which plays important roles in carbon dioxide utilization and mineralization, pipeline scaling, water purification membrane processes, and energy-related subsurface operations. In this talk, I will discuss new experimental ways to quantify the interfacial energy at CaCO3-on-quartz substrates in situ and explore their roles in CaCO3 nucleation in environmental systems. We have utilized synchrotron-based in situ grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering, along with complementary water, interface, and solid characterization methods, and have quantified the nucleation kinetics of CaCO3 at different salinities and temperatures. Through this experimental work and by applying classical nucleation theory, we obtained the effective interfacial energy (α) for each salinity, as well as the thermodynamic and kinetic activation nucleation barriers. By improving reactive transport models, this information is particularly useful in better predicting the crucial fate and transport of contaminants and nutrients in the environment. The results can also be applicable to controlling scale formation in pipelines and on desalination membranes.

Interfacial energy: Key to controlling calcium carbonate formation on environmentally-abundant surfaces

2019 Fall National Meeting

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