European project H2020 : DISCO2 STORE

H2020 project “DISCO2 STORE, Discontinuities in C02 Storage Reservoirs” led by Alain Zanella, Senior Lecturer at Le Mans University.

Within the “scientific excellence” pillar, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) action encourages strong international collaborations through staff exchanges in the field of research and innovation.

The current scientific consensus is that achieving zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050 is vital to avoid a large number of unprecedented negative impacts on our planet due to global warming, such as extreme weather events, significant sea level rise, species extinction, and biodiversity loss, among others. It is therefore clear that a series of parallel mitigation actions must be undertaken, among which CO2 sequestration in geological reservoirs plays a major role.

The application of this technology on a global scale is only possible if long-term storage of CO2 is ensured, which in turn depends on a thorough understanding of reservoir characteristics. In this context, subsurface mechanical discontinuities, both natural and man-made, are ubiquitous features that are the main reasons for potential risks associated with CO2 injection operations.

The DISCO2 STORE consortium is closely examining subsurface mechanical discontinuities, in order to provide new knowledge and tools for safe CO2 injection practice.

This project is approached by building an interdisciplinary and international network, gathering 12 institutions from Europe and Latin America. It brings together 35 experienced researchers from academic and non-academic institutions, who share their diverse research expertise through international secondments and promote high-level training on a topic with high social impact. In addition, 19 PhD students are participating in the project, acquiring knowledge and skills on this hot environmental topic in an international setting.

The results of this ambitious research will allow a better understanding of the effects of underground mechanical discontinuities and will contribute to make geological CO2 sequestration operations a safer and more accessible alternative in order to mitigate the effects of global warming.

The duration of the project is 4 years starting February 1, 2021 and all scientific advances will be freely available under open-source or open access licenses to promote transfer.