A Novel Microfluidic Approach to Quantify Pore-Scale Mineral Dissolution in Porous Media

A Novel Microfluidic Approach to Quantify Pore-Scale Mineral Dissolution in Porous Media | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A Novel Microfluidic Approach to Quantify Pore-Scale Mineral Dissolution in Porous Media Rafid Musabbir Rahman, Elliott Niemur, Gianluca Blois, Farzan Kazemifar, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4769367/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mineral dissolution in porous media coupled with single- and/or multi-phase flows is pervasive in natural and engineering systems. Dissolution modifies the physical, hydrological, and geochemical properties of the solid matrix, resulting in a complex coupling between local dissolution rate and pore-scale flow. The work reports an innovative microfluidic approach that includes novel 2D reactive porous media and advanced pore flow diagnostics for the study of pore-scale dissolution in porous media with unprecedented details. The 2D microfluidic porous media, called micromodels, were fabricated in calcite by combining photolithography and wet etching, which not only offers precise control over the structural and chemical properties, but also facilitate unobstructed optical access to the pore flow, significantly improving over existing methods. We believe the work represents the first of its kind as it for the first time directly applies photolithography to calcite samples and demonstrates the use of particle image velocimetry to investigate chemical reactions in porous media. The preliminary results have revealed the crucial roles of local concentration gradients in mineral dissolution and call for reconsideration of many assumptions used in the current modeling tools, which paves the way for renewed fundamental understanding of reactive transport and improved modeling tools with better accuracy. Mineral dissolution Microfluidics Porous media Calcite Pore scale Multiphase flow Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 16 Jan, 2025 Reviews received at journal 13 Jan, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Jan, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Dec, 2024 Reviews received at journal 23 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Jul, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Jul, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Jul, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 29 Jul, 2024 Editor invited by journal 26 Jul, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Jul, 2024 First submitted to journal 19 Jul, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4769367","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":341722177,"identity":"4d1e8079-a062-4271-b726-84cff800ea78","order_by":0,"name":"Rafid Musabbir Rahman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Montana State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rafid","middleName":"Musabbir","lastName":"Rahman","suffix":""},{"id":341722180,"identity":"fda89f36-0d62-4ecf-9679-cc5674795415","order_by":1,"name":"Elliott Niemur","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Montana State 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