Project description
Carbon’s hidden journey beneath the ocean floor
Seawater circulating beneath the ocean floor drives various reactions within the rocks. These reactions shape how carbon, a building block of life and a potent greenhouse gas, moves and transforms under the surface. Yet the details of this hidden carbon pathway remain a mystery. With support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ECoCT project will recreate these deep-sea conditions through open-system experiments that allow carbon to flow through rock as it does in nature. By combining chemical analyses, microstructural characterisation and 3D imaging, the project will determine how carbon reacts, migrates and fuels biological processes in rocks. The results will support the development of more efficient carbon storage technologies.
Objective
Circulation of seawater through the oceanic lithosphere represents the largest fluid-rock interaction system on Earth. As a volatile part of biological and geological cycles, carbon is profoundly affected by fluid-rock interactions. As gaseous CO2 and CH4, carbon is a greenhouse gas, and in the form of simple carboxylic acids, it is an energy source for subsurface life. However, our knowledge of carbon fluxes and the fate of especially organic carbon in hydrothermal systems remains limited. Detailed datasets of rock-dominated open system experiments and in situ identification of organic compounds are needed to determine the mechanism that controls CO2 fluxes and reactivity in the subsurface and to extend our knowledge of the deep biosphere. Conventional experiments often use closed system reactors, and microbiology studies often depend on bulk rock analyses. These methods only provide a first idea of the reactions occurring in the lithosphere. The project presented here aims to conduct novel open-system experiments to increase our understanding of environmental conditions and processes that control the in situ transformation and reactivity of carbon compounds within hydrothermal systems. Parameters influencing the reactivity will be disentangled by combining state-of-the-art element and microstructural analyses with new powerful 3D visualization methods. First, a better understanding of organic matter flow within the lithosphere is established. Afterward, a conceptual model for C-transformation will be developed by applying experiments in a monitored environment. Finally, the results will highlight the effect of coupled processes occurring at the pore scale on the carbonation rate and efficiency relevant to industrial implementation. ECoCT will allow me to improve my interdisciplinary skills and thinking, increase my professional network and gain experience in outreach and management, thus greatly enhancing my future career opportunities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3584 CS Utrecht
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.