Heriot-Watt University wins H2020 grant
A team of scientists from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, has discovered a method of communication with subsurface rocks, earning a ~€3m grant from Horizon 2020.
Led by Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, the team of researchers (pictured) aim to create artificial rocks capable of communication. By using 3D printing, the porous, artificial, ‘smart’ rocks will be embedded with micro-sensors for the direct transmission of data, which will include information on how liquids and gases deep underground are affected by sub-surface movement.
Maroto-Valer said: “While extensive work over the years has given us some idea about how liquids and gases move through porous rocks at a large scale, we haven’t been able to understand how the process works at the very small pore scale, and how that process can differ between different types of porous rocks. We are very excited about this award and the opportunity to bring interdisciplinary innovation, building upon Heriot-Watt’s world-leading expertise in process and petroleum engineering and manufacturing. This will allow us to unlock engineering research challenges in reactive transport in porous networks, transforming technological and environmental engineering applications.”
A better understanding of the layer of porous rocks in the subsurface is essential to securing future water, food and energy supplies in a sustainable way, and to optimising methods of carbon dioxide (CO2) underground storage.
The grant has been awarded by the Excellent Science pillar of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
