ZeroGen CO Capture and Storage Project, which found that diagenetic processes acting on the sandstones have 2 resulted in poor permeability and reduced porosity, making them unsuitable for large scale injection and storage in this area. To better understand the factors acting to degrade these reservoirs, the purpose of the current study was to establish a thermal maturity framework for the Permian sandstone reservoirs of the Northern Denison Trough based on vitrinite reflectance measurements of coals and Rock-Eval analysis of coals and shales from the Aldebaran Sandstone through to the Catherine Sandstone. Mean maximum vitrinite reflectance of coals (R ) ranges from 0.55% to 0.93%, and estimated maximum max o o burial temperatures calculated from vitrinite reflectance fall between 83 C - 125 C. Calculation of palaeotemperatures from vitrinite reflectance data has been hampered by inversions of depth-reflectance profiles at the top of the Aldebaran Sandstone and scatter in vitrinite reflectance data. This has been attributed to depositional effects (including the major marine flooding surfaces at the top of the Aldebaran Sandstone) that have affected vitrinite reflectance evolution in the NDT, producing low reflecting, fluorescing, perhydrous vitrinite near marine flooding surfaces, and subhydrous vitrinite when oxidising conditions prevailed. A vitrinite reflectance difference of up to 0.2% R is detected in an isometamorphic coal, an equivalent max o palaeotemperature difference of approximately 19 C. The abundance of perhydrous vitrinite has resulted in largely suppressed vitrinite reflectance throughout the examined Permian interval in the Northern Denison Trough, and the presence of both perhydrous and subhydrous vitrinite introduces an error in palaeotemperature calculation in high volatile bituminous coals. Rock-Eval analysis provides supporting and calibrating maturity data. T over the studied interval ranges from max o o 421 C to 447 C, generating a positive, broadly linear correlation between R and T that is applicable max max specifically to the NDT. T suppression was also detected in perhydrous coals. Hydrogen index serves to max evaluate the level of vitrinite reflectance suppression through an inverse relationship between the two parameters. The Rock-Eval data confirms the oil generation potential of coals in the NDT while shales associated with the same stratigraphic intervals have lower hydrocarbon generation potential. This study brings new insights into the thermal maturity framework in the NDT and highlights the importance of reliable vitrinite reflectance data for calculation of maximum burial temperatures, particularly in underexplored or frontier areas.

Kang, 14 Kang, 14 S., Kim, J.-H., Ryu, J.-S., Shin, K.-H., 2020. Dual carbon isotope (δ C and Δ C) characterization of particulate organic carbon in the Geum and Seomjin estuaries, South Korea. Marine Pollution Bulletin 150, 110719.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X19308756 We investigated the source, composition, and reactivity of particulate organic carbon (POC) in two contrasting Korean estuary systems, a closed estuary (Geum) (i.e., with an estuary dam at the river mouth) and an open 13 14 (Seomjin) estuary. A dual isotope (δ C and Δ C ) approach was applied to surface water samples POC POC collected along a salinity gradient in August 2016. Our results indicate that phytoplankton-derived POC was the main contributor to the total POC pool in the reservoir of the Geum estuary, while terrestrial-derived POC 14 predominated the upper Seomjin estuary. A simple binary mixing model using Δ C revealed a higher POC modern POC contribution (87 - 90%) in the Geum estuary reservoir than that (77%) of the upper Seomjin estuary. Accordingly, it appears that an estuary dam can alter the source and reactivity of POC in a reservoir, which can be transferred to the adjacent coastal ecosystem.

Kaplitz, A.S., Kresge, G.A., Selover, B., Horvat, L., Franklin, E.G., Godinho, J.M., Grinias, K.M., Foster, S.W., Davis, J.J., Grinias, J.P., 2020. High-throughput and ultrafast liquid chromatography. Analytical Chemistry 92, 67-84.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04713