Scientific publications

Olivine’s high radiative conductivity increases slab temperature by up to 200K
Using high pressure-temperature optical experiments and thermo-kinematic modelling, this study demonstrates that radiative thermal conductivity accounts for ~40% of heat transport in olivine, raising slab temperatures by 100-200 K and restricting water-bearing mineral transport to the Mantle Transition Zone to only old and/or fast-subducting slabs.

Pumped hydropower storage in closed open-pit lignite mines can provide substantial contributions to the European energy transition
This study evaluated 164 EU open-pit lignite mines, identifying 50 technically feasible sites for pumped hydropower storage (PHS) that could provide either 9.6 GW power capacity (21% of current EU PHS) for short-term load balancing or 13 TWh storage capacity (4,860% increase) for seasonal demand, offering a substantial utility-scale solution to support the EU's energy transition and Green Deal objectives.

Bulk rock geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of clay-rich sediments from drill core analysis of the Staffelegg Formation 

Mineralogical and geochemical analyses of drill cores from the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory show that the influence of groundwater in potential host rocks for nuclear waste disposal is largely confined to local fracture zones and calcite veins, while the surrounding clay-rich layers remain unaffected and isolated.

Electronic, Structural, and Mechanical Properties of SiO2 Glass at High Pressure Inferred from its Refractive Index
We present the first direct measurements of the refractive index of silica glass up to 145 GPa, revealing significant anomalies at ∼10 GPa and ∼40 GPa, which correlate with changes in Si coordination, and demonstrate that the compressibility and density of noncrystalline solids can be accurately measured in optical experiments up to at least 110 GPa.

Mögliche hydrochemische Folgen des Betriebs von Pumpspeicherkraftwerken in zwei sich im Wandel befindenden europäischen Kohlebergbauregionen
Diese Studie nutzte Reaktionspfadmodellierungen, um die hydrogeochemischen Auswirkungen von Pumpspeicherkraftwerken in zwei europäischen Braunkohlebergwerken (Kardia, Griechenland und Szczerców-Bełchatów, Polen) zu bewerten und fand vernachlässigbare Effekte auf die Wasserqualität aufgrund ausreichender Pufferkapazitäten und hydraulisch geringleitende Sedimente am griechischen Standort sowie großer Speicherkapazität mit kontinuierlicher Grundwasservermischung am polnischen Standort.

Towards fully coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) modelling in advanced reservoir engineering: GOLEM-PHREEQC
This paper presents a newly developed and validated software interface between the multi-physics simulator GOLEM and the geochemical programme PHREEQC, which enables complex thermo-hydro-mechanical and reactive chemical processes for geothermal applications to be modelled within a holistic model.