Experimental Investigation of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation and Crystal Growth in One- and Two-Dimensional Porous Media

Visualization experiments using one-dimensional (1-D) porous media made of Plexiglas and twodimensional glass porous networks were conducted to obtain qualitative and quantitative information concerning the precipitation and crystal growth of CaCO3 under varying flow and concentration conditions. Supersaturated solutions were prepared by mixing sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride solutions before the pore networks. Nucleation and crystal growth were assumed to occur within the porous media. Changes in the initial and final solution composition were monitored. At low initial supersaturation values (SRinitial), a few crystals were observed within the flow channels and crystal growth took place exclusively on the newly formed crystals. As the SRinitial increased, more crystals were formed along the flow channels and new crystallites were continuously formed during the course of the experiments. Nucleation and crystal growth were not uniform. The crystal growth rates depended on the initial value of SR and flow path inside the medium. Porosity for the 2-D networks decreased when the SRinitial was high or when calcite-cemented sand was used as substrate.