2026-27 AEESP Distinguished Lecturer

Professor Peters will present two lectures in the 2026-2027 Tour.  Abstracts are below.

Lecture 1: "Advancing Subsurface Strategies for Decarbonization and Energy Sustainability"

An overarching grand challenge is to enable a sustainable future in which our world's energy needs are met while protecting natural resources. This calls for a transformative use of the subsurface environment. In this century we will vastly expand underground activities that mitigate climate change – for energy storage, permanent disposal of greenhouse gases, and sustainable energy production. These activities require extensive understanding of fluids like hydrogen (H₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), and their reactivity with minerals in porous media. In this talk, you will hear about advancements in geochemistry and mineralogy, which have led to novel strategies for CO₂ sequestration, reliable containment of fluids, and H₂ generation. Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopic imaging reveals complexity in mineral reactions at scales down to the nanometer. Paired with geochemical and reactive transport modeling, we have gained new insights on how mineral reactions can either hinder or actively advance strategic decarbonization.

Lecture 2: "Underground H₂ Generation and Storage: An Accelerated Pathway to Energy Decarbonization"

Decarbonizing global energy is essential for the sustainable energy transition and mitigation of climate change. Hydrogen (H₂) is one of the most promising energy carriers to achieve these goals. Environmental engineers and earth scientists can contribute to this advancement by (i) reliable design of underground H₂ storage systems and (ii) acceleration of geologic generation of H₂. Large-scale underground H₂ storage (UHS) enables adoption of renewable energy sources like wind and solar because energy storage mitigates fluctuations in supply and demand. As to underground generation of H₂, known as geologic H₂, this process occurs naturally deep underground where oxidation of ferrous iron drives reduction of molecular water to produce H₂. Our research explores geochemical strategies to accelerate this process by optimizing conditions for favorable reaction thermodynamics and kinetics. The ultimate goal is to transform geologic hydrogen from a natural curiosity into a scalable clean energy source.