In a major scientific development with global implications for climate change mitigation, Ghanaian PhD researcher, Prince Henry Sampson Eduam of The Ohio State University (OSU), USA, has produced one of the most compelling experimental demonstrations to date that the Marcellus Shale, a massive unconventional reservoir stretching across the Appalachian Basin, can securely store carbon dioxide (CO₂) long-term.
His breakthrough research, published and presented at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Conference, provides clear laboratory evidence that CO₂ injection into shale is not impossible. Instead, it becomes trapped, immobilized, and structurally locked within the rock, offering a pathway for deep geological CO₂ sequestration at a scale relevant to global climate objectives.
This discovery is significant because the Marcellus is one of North America’s most extensive formations, with decades of existing infrastructure from gas extraction. Demonstrating that it can double as a secure carbon sink could transform it from a hydrocarbon reservoir into a climate solution, turning old energy assets into tools for decarbonization.
The ability of unconventional formations like the Marcellus Shale to permanently store carbon dioxide (CO₂) has long been uncertain. To address this, Prince Henry developed a multi-experimental framework that captured CO₂ behavior from the molecular scale up to the core scale.
The results collectively provide some of the strongest laboratory evidence in modern dispensation that the Marcellus can both store CO₂ and naturally enhance its trapping capacity over time.
Using pulse-decay core flooding, he measured the movement of helium, methane, and CO₂ through shale under realistic subsurface conditions. CO₂ flooding showed two distinct permeability-decline phases, an indication that it was being immobilized by sorption and chemo-mechanical interactions.
To understand this mechanism in detail, BET/BJH adsorption analysis revealed that the Marcellus contains a dense network of nanopores that strongly and preferentially adsorb CO₂. This confirmed the first-stage perm decline: instant adsorption, in which CO₂ binds tightly to internal pore surfaces immediately upon injection, forming a stable, long-term storage mechanism.
However, adsorption alone did not explain the dramatic permeability reductions observed. Raman spectroscopy showed that CO₂ also interacts chemically with kerogen, causing slight swelling and rearrangement of the organic matrix.
These molecular-scale changes constrict pore throats and reduce fracture connectivity, greatly limiting CO₂ mobility. This explained the second-stage perm decline: chemo-mechanical locking, a process in which the shale’s structure adjusts to trap CO₂ even more securely.
This breakthrough has broad implications for global decarbonization. With its vast extent, existing infrastructure, and naturally strong trapping behavior, the Marcellus could serve as a major long-term CO₂ sink.
It is this pioneering, experimentally validated work that launched Prince Henry Sampson Eduam onto the highest tiers of global recognition in petroleum engineering. This year, the breakthrough findings from his paper “Sorption-Induced Permeability Evolution and Chemo-Mechanical Interactions of CO₂ Sequestration in the Marcellus Shale,” served as the foundation for his entry into the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Paper Competition (universally regarded as the most competitive and selective research contest in the petroleum industry). What followed was an extraordinarily rare ascent.
Prince Henry first won the Eastern North America and Mid-Continent Regional Championship, securing the single PhD finalist position available for the entire region. His regional victory propelled him into the SPE International Finals, where only eight researchers worldwide earn the right to compete. Reaching this stage is an achievement reserved for the most exceptional young scientists across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
To stand among the Top 8 globally is not simply a mark of academic success; it is a distinction that signals world-class scientific impact, the highest level of competitive excellence, and recognition from the largest professional society in petroleum and energy engineering.
Judges described Prince Henry’s work as “scientifically outstanding,” “methodologically rigorous,” and “a standard that pushes the field forward.” His integration of multi-petrophysical analysis and molecular-scale spectroscopy provided a novel mechanistic understanding of CO₂–shale interactions; an innovation that distinguished him as a researcher advancing the frontier of subsurface carbon storage.
Prince Henry Sampson Eduam’s achievement represents a significant milestone not only for his career but for Ghanaian scientific excellence on the global stage.
His success elevates Ghana’s visibility in high-impact petroleum research, particularly in unconventional reservoir science and carbon sequestration.
By joining one of the world’s most selective research platforms, he demonstrates that Ghanaian scientists are making meaningful contributions to global climate-focused technological innovation.
