The origin of the inventory of prebiotic compounds from which life on Earth eventually emerged remains unclear. Assuming the carbon for these compounds to be supplied by exogenous delivery, we look to comets and meteorites where kerogen-type compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) comprise the major fraction, accounting for 75%, of the organic content in meteorites. Here, we test the hypothesis whether these larger solid compounds, and especially PAHs, could serve as a carbon source for the synthesis of some of the building blocks of life. We propose that the presence of mineral catalysts in the substrates of small bodies and planetary surfaces facilitates the break down PAHs, freeing up the carbon and making it available to generate precursor prebiotic compounds.

In this project we perform laboratory experiments to investigate the evolution of irradiated PAHs adsorbed to various mineral substrates. Laboratory simulation chambers allow us to gain insight into the nature of organic carbon chemistry on various rocky bodies in our solar system. This data can be used alongside astronomical data to better understand their nature and help guide the instrumentation choices on space missions to places like Mars, asteroids & comets.

• dr. ir. Inge Loes ten Kate
• dr. Nina Kopacz

DeepNL: Ongoing surface subsidence: how low can it go?

Extraction of fluids, like natural gas, from the Earth’s crust frequently results in surface subsidence and tremors. The cause lies in reservoir compaction, driven by the increase in effective overburden stress due to decreasing reservoir fluid pressure. However, the long-term surface impact of fluid production cannot be predicted confidently. The key barrier to obtaining appropriate models is that the physical and chemical mechanisms responsible for reservoir compaction are poorly known and quantified at realistic subsurface pressure and temperature conditions. We will quantify these mechanisms causing long-term subsidence and seismicity, to enable prediction via computer modelling. 

• prof. dr. Martyn Drury
• dr. Suzanne Hangx
• dr. Oliver Plümper