National & International collaborative Research Projects dealing with porous media
The research landscape in Germany dealing with porous media is very broad comprising both industrial and academic institutions. Here, we would like to present an overview of the many fascinating collaborative research projects currently being pursued at German institutions.
If you would like to present your research project in this list and at least one of the partners is a member of interpore please contact Interpore‘s Communication Officer:Mr. Aqeel Afzal Chaudhry MSc.: Aqeel.Chaudhry@ifgt.tu-freiberg.de
 | Sonderforschungsbereich 1313 der Universität Stuttgart "Interface-Driven Multi-Field Processes in Porous Media – Flow, Transport and Deformation" Collaborative Research Centre funded by the German Research Fondation (DFG) Porous media are almost everywhere: Whether it be technical, environmental or biological systems – porous media can be found in various fields. They all have their porous structure, their permeability, and their interfaces in common. SFB 1313 is an interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Centre of the University of Stuttgart, consisting of four major project areas (A-D), divided in 17 individual research projects and three task forces. SFB 1313 startet on 1 January 2018. It is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and affiliated to the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science. In total, about 60 researchers of 9 different institutes of the University of Stuttgart and of about 35 partner universities build the SFB 1313 team. |  |
 | GeomInt - Geomechanical integrity of host and barrier rocks – Experiments, modelling and analysis of discontinuities The aim of the collaborative GeomInt project is to provide a realistic, experimental-numerical analysis of the formation and development of discontinuities in geological barriers using the example of salt, clay and crystalline rocks. The focus is on typical processes that lead to the development of specific discontinuities, i.e. swelling and shrinkage processes, pressure-driven percolation and stress redistributions. The research concept of GeomInt is built along workflows connecting experimental work at lab and field scales with tailored modelling-experiment-exercises (see figure for clay rock, Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory). Achievements of the project’s first phase have been compiled in a recent book publication |  |
 | SFB/TRR 287 BULK-REACTION The Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 287 BULK-REACTION is an interdisciplinary research program that focuses on chemically reactive moving particle assemblies from both the point of view of experiments and of modeling and simulations. SFB/TRR 287 brings together research groups with expertise primarily in the fields of reactive particulate systems (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) and energy-intensive particle processes (Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg). In SFB/TRR 287 research projects are classified into three major areas: Fluid flow and gas phase reactions; particle phenomena; systems, model reduction and coupled processes. In total, 15 individual research projects with about 45 researchers are involved. SFB/TRR 287 is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and it started on July 1, 2020. |  |
 | The influence of microbial growth on the hydraulic properties of porous gas reservoirs (BioPore) In a first attempt of reservoir storage, a carbon dioxide/hydrogen mixture has been stored in a depleted gas field in Austria. It turned out that microorganisms convert efficiently the hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane. In the frame of this accompanying international research project, the microbial growth and the resulting consequences on the pore scale are systematically investigated. The following research questions are in the focus: (a) To what extend does the permeability change with changing porosity due to biomass growth? Can it be quantified by a porosity/permeability relationship? (b) How is the exact distribution of the biomass in the pore space? If the biomass distribution limits the substrate supply to the microorganisms, the in-situ gas conversion rate would likely not become economic. |  |
 | Rhizosphere Spatiotemporal Organisation – a Key to Rhizosphere Functions (SPP 2089) This Priority Programme aims at the identification of spatiotemporal patterns in the rhizosphere and at the explanation of the underlying mechanisms. The key concept of the programme consists of approaching the rhizosphere as a self-organised system. Self-organisation arises from a cascade of feedback loops between root, microbiome and soil. Emerging patterns in the rhizosphere cannot be understood from studying the components in isolation. The overall hypothesis of the Priority Programme is that resilience emerges from self-organised spatiotemporal pattern formation in the rhizosphere. | |