Degradation mechanism of microstructure of residual coal pillars during highly mineralized mine-water storage in coal mine goaf

Abstract

Driven by the “dual carbon” strategy, the functionality of coal mine underground reservoirs is transitioning toward multimedia collaborative storage, such as CO₂ geological sequestration and strategic energy reserves. The microscopic structures of the coal pillar dams, which are subjected to mining-induced damage and long-term infiltration erosion by highly mineralized mine water, continuously deteriorate over time, posing significant risks to the long-term safety and stability of the reservoirs. This study, based on the Lingxin Coal Mine Underground Reservoir Demonstration Project, employs a multi-technique characterization approach including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope, nuclear magnetic resonance, and computed tomography to systematically reveal the multiscale collaborative erosion mechanisms of highly mineralized mine water on the mineral composition, crystal structure, and pore development of coal pillar dams. The results indicate: (1) significant concentration-dependent deterioration of mineral composition and crystal structure; kaolinite hydrolysis had a weakening effect on XRD peaks while quartz remained inert; (2) initiation of progressive microstructural damage at boundaries via dissolution/loosening; this damage advanced through layered mineral delamination and pore development (evidenced by NMR T₂ broadening), resulting in irreversible void formation with chloride precipitation; (3) formation of pore-throat halite crystals, primarily due to chloride ions (Cl^-); these crystals propagated microfractures through salt-expansion stress, establishing a cyclic dissolution-migration-crystallization-cracking process; (4) triggering of accelerated deterioration of the coal matrix owing to prolonged retention; this induced time- and concentration-dependent expansion and interconnection of pore-fracture networks, resulting in geomechanical deterioration.

Keywords

Highly mineralized mine water / Underground storage / Coal pillar dam / Microstructure / Degradation mechanism

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Hao Liu: Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Zenghui Zhao: Project administration, Methodology. Qing Ma: Investigation. Xiaoli Liu: Validation, Supervision. Longjie Zhu: Software.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

This work is supported by the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. ZR2023ME086), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52304093), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2023M741968).

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