Influence and limitations of cation exchange processes of organic cations with different valence under geothermal boundary conditions - GEOCAT

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Tobias Licha
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 238193764

The proposed work shall contribute to the further understanding of the sorption processes of organic cations by conducting systematic investigations. The main focus is on the mechanismn of the underlying cation exchange processes and their dependences from selected boundary conditions. Especially, the role of competing inorganic cations and temperature on the exchange equilibrium shall be investigated. Furthermore, the planned work shall provide information on the maximum (geothermal) temperatures and maximum concentrations of competing inorganic cations (ionic strength) where cation exchange stays a relevant transport process.For this purpose, the sorption of five selected and defined organic cations onto a Northern German reservoir rock material shall be investigated experimentally and compared by varying relevant boundary conditions (ionic strength, ion type, temperature). On the on hand, the competition of organic cations with the inorganic cations Na+ and Ca2+ for the available exchange sites shall be studied intensively. On the other hand, the possible temperature dependence of the cation exchange of organic cations shall be tested and quantified. The characterization of the sorption behaviour will be carried out in column experiments with controlled boundary conditions.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Eckhard Worch