CO2 Storage in Abandoned Coal Mine Goafs: From Conventional Reservoirs to Special Underground Spaces

Authors

  • Qiang Liu School of Mechanics and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7528-1300
  • Jiayang Li School of Mechanics and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China
  • Bing Liang School of Mechanics and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China
  • Weiji Sun School of Mechanics and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0106-6303
  • Jiaxu Jin School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China
  • Hu Li Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644000, China
  • Zhen Tan Fuxin Macro Geological Prospecting Coal Bed Gas Co. Ltd., Fuxin, 123000, China
  • Bo Han Inner Mongolia Jilin Guole No. 2 Open-Pit Coal Mine Co., Ltd., Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia 026299, China
  • Xuezhe Wang Lvliang Lanyan Coalbed Methane Co., Ltd., Lvliang 033000, China
  • Yongbing Liu Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada

Abstract

Driven by China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets, CO2 geological storage has been recognized as an important pathway for achieving deep decarbonization. However, existing CO2 geological storage theories have been mainly developed based on conventional geological reservoirs, including deep saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams. The assumption of a continuous medium adopted in these theories is difficult to apply to abandoned coal mine goafs that are strongly affected by mining-induced disturbance. During mining activities, surrounding rock masses undergo failure, fracture development, and stress redistribution. As a result, a heterogeneous underground space with continuously evolving structural and mechanical properties is formed. These complex characteristics make it difficult for conventional reservoir theories to accurately describe CO2 migration, rock structure evolution, and the long-term stability of the storage system. It is proposed that CO2 storage in abandoned coal mine goafs requires a transition from conventional reservoir theories toward a multiscale and multiphysics-coupled theoretical framework for disturbed underground spaces. In this study, the key scientific challenges associated with CO2 storage in abandoned coal mine goafs are discussed from three perspectives: microscale pore structure evolution, mesoscale CO2 migration and leakage range evolution controlled by damage evolution, and macroscale long-term storage stability under multiphysics coupling conditions. The proposed framework provides theoretical support for underground space utilization in abandoned mines and large-scale CO2 storage.

Article Type: Review Article

Cited as:

Liu Q, Li JY, Liang B, et al. 2026. CO2 Storage in Abandoned Coal Mine Goafs: From Conventional Reservoirs to Special Underground Spaces. GeoStorage, 2(3), 248-255.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46690/gs.2026.03.04

Keywords:

Abandoned coal mine goafs, CO2 geological storage, disturbed underground spaces, multiscale framework, hydraulic-mechanical-chemical coupling, long-term stability

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Published

2026-08-28

How to Cite

Liu, Q., Li, J., Liang, B., Sun, W., Jin, J., Li, H., … Liu, Y. (2026). CO2 Storage in Abandoned Coal Mine Goafs: From Conventional Reservoirs to Special Underground Spaces. GeoStorage, 2(3), 248–255. https://doi.org/10.46690/gs.2026.03.04

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Vol. 2 No. 3 (2026): September

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