The Porous Media Lab stands at the forefront of research on complex flow and reactive transport processes in porous materials, covering diverse length scales. By uniquely integrating cutting-edge experimental methods with real-time imaging and advanced numerical modelling, our lab is at the forefront of studies in geosciences, as well as extending our research into engineering, biological, and medical applications through the Structures of Strength (SoS) centre.

Our diverse projects include groundwater remediation; solute and pathogen transport in subsurface and unsaturated flows; particle transport and clogging in subsurface environments; mineral and salt precipitation; biomass growth in porous media; drying processes in porous materials; geological CO₂ storage; geothermal energy; and subsurface energy storage. Other porous material applications explored include ink penetration into paper, fuel cells, swelling particles, moisture absorption in products, microvascular flow dynamics, bacterial transport across mucus, and the porosity and permeability of human bones.

The Porous Media Lab features a cleanroom equipped to create complex microfluidic models that mimic porous materials. Using four customized microscopic and optical setups we conduct experiments in the following areas:

• Single and Multiphase Flow: Exploring interfacial processes, wettability effects, attachment at interfaces, and phase distributions.

• Tracer and Reactive Transport: Investigating movement and dispersion of chemicals and effects of chemical interactions and precipitation/dissolution on changing transport properties under single and multi-phase flow.
• Particle Transport and Clogging: Exploring dynamics of particle penetration, attachment, and the resulting permeability changes due to pore clogging, also in the presence of microbial activities as well as liquid-gas phases.
• Biomass Growth: Investigating how biomass presence alters porous media characteristics including porosity, permeability, enhanced attachment, and wettability changes.

By integrating these experimental setups, we can analyze the dynamic interactions among these processes within porous materials. For more information, please contact us.

Column and Tank Experiments

The Porous Media Lab conducts column and tank-scale experiments to explore fluid flow, transport, clogging, and remediation processes in soils and sediments. Our experimental approaches include:

• Biomass Cultivation and Microbial Transport: Using columns from 2 cm up to 50 cm, we cultivate biomass within soil and sediment matrices to simulate conditions for pathogen removal in soils as well as sand filtration in water treatment systems. This setup allows us to study the effects of grain size, water velocity, sample length, and biofilm growth on filtration efficiency and soil properties.
• Soil improvement methods: We explore in-situ permeation techniques and how they alter soil structures, reduce permeability and/or improve soil strength. Examples include chemical grouts, such as waterglass (silicate grout) and biofilm growth.Our findings help optimize injection strategies,assess the durability,erosion and environmental impact of the grout on the ambient groundwater system over time, based on grout type, groundwater flow, and water composition.
• Permeability Reduction and Clogging: We assess how factors like soil heterogeneity, particle deposition and clogging, and biofilm formation affect soil and sediment permeability to explore subsurface clogging dynamics as well as filtration system efficiency.
• Contamination hydrogeology: We explore how contaminants travel in the subsurface including aspects of unsaturated flow dynamics, two-phase flow, dispersion, adsorption. Examples include: chlorinated solvents (TCE to VC), polyaromatic hydrocarbons, mercury DNAPL.

Our experiments are complemented by advanced Darcy-scale simulations, which enhance our ability to interpret the results, apply different flow conditions, and optimize processes in hydrogeology, filtration, and environmental engineering applications.