Abstract
Porosity and permeability are two major hydraulic properties that govern flow through porous media. Different kinds of processes can lead to alterations of the pore space which eventually change the hydraulic properties. This project focuses primarily on fluid-solid interfaces that are prone to change as a result of microbial activity. The alterations need to be measured experimentally and interpreted on the scales of interest by means of numerical simulations. It is also required to improve the efficiency of corresponding complex numerical simulation methods.
Project leader
apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Class
Researcher
Dr.-Ing. Johannes Hommel
Dr.-Ing. Martin Beck (bis April 2019)
Dr.-Ing. Felix Weinhardt
Kerem Bozkurt (M.Sc.)
Department
Duration
01/2018 - 12/2025
Publications
(Journal-) Articles
- Lee, D., Weinhardt, F., Hommel, J., Piotrowski, J., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2023). Machine learning assists in increasing the time resolution of X-ray computed tomography applied to mineral precipitation in porous media. Scientific Reports, 13, 10529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37523-0
- Hommel, J., Gehring, L., Weinhardt, F., Ruf, M., & Steeb, H. (2022). Effects of Enzymatically Induced Carbonate Precipitation on Capillary Pressure-Saturation Relations. Minerals, 12(10), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101186
- von Wolff, L., Weinhardt, F., Class, H., Hommel, J., & Rohde, C. (2021). Investigation of Crystal Growth in Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation by Micro-Fluidic Experimental Methods and Comparison with Mathematical Modeling. Transport in Porous Media, 137(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-021-01560-y
- Scheurer, S., Schäfer Rodrigues Silva, A., Mohammadi, F., Hommel, J., Oladyshkin, S., Flemisch, B., & Nowak, W. (2021). Surrogate-based Bayesian comparison of computationally expensive models: application to microbially induced calcite precipitation. Computational Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-021-10076-9
- Hommel, J., Akyel, A., Frieling, Z., Phillips, A. J., Gerlach, R., Cunningham, A. B., & Class, H. (2020). A Numerical Model for Enzymatically Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation. Applied Sciences, 10(13), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10134538
- Cunningham, A. B., Class, H., Ebigbo, A., Gerlach, R., Phillips, A., & Hommel, J. (2019). Field-scale modeling of microbially induced calcite precipitation. Computational Geosciences, tbd. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-018-9797-6
- Hommel, J., Coltman, E., & Class, H. (2018). Porosity-Permeability Relations for Evolving Pore Space: A Review with a Focus on (Bio-)geochemically Altered Porous Media. Transport in Porous Media, 2(124), Article 124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-018-1086-2
Datasets
- Lee, D., Weinhardt, F., Hommel, J., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2023). Time resolved micro-XRCT dataset of Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) in sintered glass bead columns. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2227
- Ruf, M., Hommel, J., & Steeb, H. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - micro-XRCT dataset of medium column (sample 3). DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2906
- Hommel, J., & Gehring, L. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - column samples. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-1713
- Ruf, M., Hommel, J., & Steeb, H. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - micro-XRCT dataset of high column (sample 4). DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2907
- Hommel, J., & Weinhardt, F. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - microfluidics samples. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2791
- Ruf, M., Hommel, J., & Steeb, H. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - micro-XRCT dataset of low column (sample 10). DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2908
Project-related publications
(Journal-) Articles
- Krach, D., Weinhardt, F., Wang, M., Schneider, M., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2025). A novel geometry-informed drag term formulation for pseudo-3D Stokes simulations with varying apertures. Advances in Water Resources, 195, 104860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2024.104860
- Class, H., Keim, L., Schirmer, L., Strauch, B., Wendel, K., & Zimmer, M. (2023). Seasonal Dynamics of Gaseous CO2 Concentrations in a Karst Cave Correspond with Aqueous Concentrations in a Stagnant Water Column. Geosciences, 13, 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020051
- Lee, D., Weinhardt, F., Hommel, J., Piotrowski, J., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2023). Machine learning assists in increasing the time resolution of X-ray computed tomography applied to mineral precipitation in porous media. Scientific Reports, 13, 10529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37523-0
- Weinhardt, F., Deng, J., Hommel, J., Vahid Dastjerdi, S., Gerlach, R., Steeb, H., & Class, H. (2022). Spatiotemporal Distribution of Precipitates and Mineral Phase Transition During Biomineralization Affect Porosity–Permeability Relationships. Transport in Porous Media, 143(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01782-8
- Hommel, J., Gehring, L., Weinhardt, F., Ruf, M., & Steeb, H. (2022). Effects of Enzymatically Induced Carbonate Precipitation on Capillary Pressure-Saturation Relations. Minerals, 12(10), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101186
- Wagner, A., Eggenweiler, E., Weinhardt, F., Trivedi, Z., Krach, D., Lohrmann, C., Jain, K., Karadimitriou, N., Bringedal, C., Voland, P., Holm, C., Class, H., Steeb, H., & Rybak, I. (2021). Permeability Estimation of Regular Porous Structures: A Benchmark for Comparison of Methods. Transport in Porous Media, 138(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-021-01586-2
- Weinhardt, F., Class, H., Dastjerdi, S. V., Karadimitriou, N., Lee, D., & Steeb, H. (2021). Experimental Methods and Imaging for Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation in a microfluidic cell. Water Resources Research, 57, e2020WR029361. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029361
- von Wolff, L., Weinhardt, F., Class, H., Hommel, J., & Rohde, C. (2021). Investigation of Crystal Growth in Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation by Micro-Fluidic Experimental Methods and Comparison with Mathematical Modeling. Transport in Porous Media, 137(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-021-01560-y
- Class, H., Bürkle, P., Sauerborn, T., Trötschler, O., Strauch, B., & Zimmer, M. (2021). On the Role of Density-Driven Dissolution of CO2 in Phreatic Karst Systems. Water Resources Research, 57(12), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030912
Datasets
- Keim, L., & Class, H. (2024). Replication Code for: Rayleigh invariance allows the estimation of effective CO2 fluxes due to convective dissolution into water-filled fractures. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-4089
- Keim, L., & Class, H. (2024). Replication Data for: Rayleigh invariance allows the estimation of effective CO2 fluxes due to convective dissolution into water-filled fractures. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-4143
- Krach, D., Weinhardt, F., Wang, M., Schneider, M., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2024). Results for pseudo-3D Stokes simulations with a geometry-informed drag term formulation for porous media with varying apertures. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/DARUS-4347
- Lee, D., Weinhardt, F., Hommel, J., Class, H., & Steeb, H. (2023). Time resolved micro-XRCT dataset of Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) in sintered glass bead columns. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2227
- Keim, L., Class, H., Schirmer, L., Wendel, K., Strauch, B., & Zimmer, M. (2023). Data for: Measurement Campaign of Gaseous CO2 Concentrations in a Karst Cave with Aqueous Concentrations in a Stagnant Water Column 2021-2022. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3271
- Keim, L., Class, H., Schirmer, L., Strauch, B., Wendel, K., & Zimmer, M. (2023). Code for: Seasonal Dynamics of Gaseous CO2 Concentrations in a Karst Cave Correspond With Aqueous Concentrations in a Stagnant Water Column. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3276
- Weinhardt, F., Deng, J., Steeb, H., & Class, H. (2022). Optical Microscopy and log data of Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) in microfluidic cells (Quasi-2D-structure). DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-1799
- Hommel, J., & Weinhardt, F. (2022). Enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation and its effect on capillary pressure-saturation relations of porous media - microfluidics samples. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2791
- Weinhardt, F., Class, H., Vahid Dastjerdi, S., Karadimitriou, N., Lee, D., & Steeb, H. (2021). Optical Microscopy and pressure measurements of Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) in a microfluidic cell. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-818
- Vahid Dastjerdi, S., Steeb, H., Ruf, M., Lee, D., Weinhardt, F., Karadimitriou, N., & Class, H. (2021). micro-XRCT dataset of Enzymatically Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) in a microfluidic cell. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-866
Contact
Holger Class
apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing.Akademischer Oberrat, Deputy Head of the Department

Johannes Hommel
Dr.-Ing.Academic Staff

Felix Weinhardt
Dr.-Ing.Departure in August 2024