Abstract

Water-rock interactions govern a large number of geological important processes that influence the environment, and, therefore, are of particular interest for modern societies; e.g., global fluxes of CO2 and other chemical components, waste management, and pollution. The weathering of calcium/magnesium (alumino)-silicates is a key to understanding and quantifying the global CO2 budget and its dynamics. Furthermore, it seems important to develop strategies that will help to sequester large amounts of carbon, e.g., through the precipitation of carbonates. The current research of Luttge's workgroup at Rice is focused on the quantification of the weathering and precipitation rates of important calcium/magnesium (alumino)-silicates and carbonates.

The application of Vertical Scanning Interferometry (VSI) allows us to quantify mineral dissolution/precipitation rates experimentally and independently from the so-called surface problem (Luttge et al., 1999, Luttge & Lasaga, 2000a). The near-atomic-scale technique quantifies surface topographies precisely (angstrom to nanometer-scale vertical resolution) within a large field of view.

Elisabeth Grove has focused research on the dissolution kinetics of wollastonite (CaSiO3). A feasibility study completed over the summer lead to some interesting new results in our understanding of wollastonite dissolution. Based on these preliminary results, further research will be directed strictly towards a quantification of the wollastonite dissolution kinetics in aqueous solutions at "low" temperatures (25 &endash; 40C). The outcome of this study will influence our assessment of how laboratory results can be compared and applied to natural systems, and how wollastonite will behave inside the human body. For the upcoming year, we plan to carry out the laboratory and fieldwork.