Storage of GHG in geological reservoirs (coal beds, mafic rocks, saline aquifers or depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs) is one of the most promising options considered to mitigate against the environmental impacts of energy use. The GRASP project is to consider the three main aspects of GHG geological storage and, for this reason, it is divided into three highly interconnected and interrelated research work packages (WP), all of which are related to the GHG interactions with the storage environment. Each research package is further sub-divided into a series of tasks.

Work Package 1 will examine particular cements such as sulphur and sulphate cements, evaluating and monitoring their resistance to CO2. Experimental techniques will be developed for chemical analysis, as well as geomechanics, and a database of minerals will be created. Within our Work Package 2, experiments will be focused on small-scale interactions within the reservoirs that determine the potential long-term storage of GHG. The range of chemical and physical processes that can be expected in the proposed reservoirs between fluid(s) (H2O, CO2, SOx, NOx), minerals and the biosphere requires a multidisciplinary investigation, i.e. mineralogical, kinetic and microbiologic studies of fluid-mineral-biosphere interactions, diffusion and sorption of SOx, NOx, Ab initio modelling, multiphase flow, and injectivity around the well and in the reservoir. Work package 3 will complete the picture with the study of storage monitoring (geophysics and geochemical techniques) from small to large scale (surface and downhole). The approach employed starts from the wellbore, on man-made products, and extends to the reservoir and geological formations, with applications to the whole reservoir.

All Work packages are highly interconnected and interrelated. Within these work packages specific fundamental or applied problems will be addressed taking advantage of the experience and competence of both Academic and Industrial partners. For each task, a responsible team (in bold in each header) will be designated with responsibility for reporting to the co-ordinator or to the scientific committee. Activities of the various WP and tasks are described in more details below. The economic feasibility, as well as the social acceptability of the geological storage of CO2, is an important issue and it is already addressed by other European Projects like CO2Net. GRASP will associate to its research and training plans specialists in economy, who are already working in close collaboration with some of the partners.