Dr James Minto
Research Fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Personal statement
Personal statement
I am a Research Fellow in Civil & Environmental Engineering and manager of the IM3AGES X-ray tomography laboratory. My research encompasses material characterization, fluid flow in porous media, pore-scale numerical modelling, and the development of low-carbon construction materials. Specifically, I investigate processes such as microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) to replace traditional cement and concrete. I welcome enquiries regarding research collaborations, commercial consultancy, or use of the IM3AGES facility.
IM3AGES Core X-Ray Equipment:
- Zeiss XRM 730: High resolution (0.4 µm spatial resolution), equipped for mineralogical mapping and diffraction contrast tomography.
- Tescan DynaTOM: High-speed (<1 minute per 3D volume) integrated with in situ rigs for thermal (heating/cooling), mechanical (tension/compression), and dynamic multiphase flow testing.
- Nikon XTH 225: 225 kV X-ray source optimized for macro-scale samples.
Auxiliary Analytical & Computational Resources:
- Deben CT5000 5 kN X-ray transparent loading frame.
- RS Systems 6 mm and 12 mm X-ray transparent rock core holders.
- Malvern Mastersizer 2000 & Zetasizer ZSP: Particle size distribution and surface charge (zeta potential) analysis.
- HotDisk TPS 2000: Thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity measurements.
- Micromeritics AccuPyc II 1345: Helium pycnometry for true volume and density quantification.
- Nikon Eclipse: Optical microscopy.
- HPC Infrastructure: Dedicated workstations running Avizo and Dragonfly for 3D image analysis, alongside OpenFOAM for computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
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Prize And Awards
- MDPI Energies poster competition
- Recipient
- 25/5/2023
- Winner of the Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation
- Recipient
- 28/4/2023
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Publications
- Development of a reactive transport model for field-scale simulation of microbially induced carbonate precipitation
- Minto James M, Lunn Rebecca J, El Mountassir Gráinne
- Water Resources Research Vol 55, pp. 7229-7245 (2019)
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025153
- X-ray CT and multiphase flow characterization of a 'bio-grouted' sandstone core : the effect of dissolution on seal longevity
- Minto James M, Hingerl Ferdinand F, Benson Sally M, Lunn Rebecca J
- International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol 64, pp. 152-162 (2017)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.07.007
- Contributions of 3D printed fracture networks to development of flow and transport models
- Suzuki Anna, Minto James M, Watanabe Noriaki, Li Kewen, Horne Roland N
- Transport in Porous Media (2018)
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-018-1154-7
- AI-driven underwater 3D scanning : enhancing efficiency and accuracy with Bayesian optimisation and Gaussian process regression
- Williams Benjamin, Suryasentana Stephen, Donalson Karen, Minto James
- Data-Centric Engineering Vol 7 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1017/dce.2026.10050
- Microbially induced carbonate precipitation for soil improvement : insights from a meter-scale radial grouting trial
- Sang Guijie, Lunn Rebecca J, Minto James M, El Mountassir Grainne
- Biogeotechnics Vol 4 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100157
- Predicting the tensile and unconfined compressive strength of MICP- treated sands
- Castro Gloria M, Anderson Mary, Minto James, Zhang Qi, El Mountassir Grainne, Lunn Rebecca J
- Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Vol 152 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-13774
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Professional Activities
- Facility Showcase Event
- Participant
- 20/5/2025
- 3D & 4D imaging - key skills for the Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
- Invited speaker
- 18/3/2024
- GeoNetZero XCT Training course
- Invited speaker
- 5/6/2023
- 3D & 4D imaging - key skills for the Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
- Invited speaker
- 20/3/2023
- BTG Workshop - Net-Zero
- Participant
- 18/5/2022
- XCT Imaging and Analysis Training Course
- Invited speaker
- 4/4/2022
Projects
- Imaging for Multi-scale Multi-modal and Multi-disciplinary Analysis for EnGineering and Environmental Sustainability (IM3AGES) (EPSRC Strategic Equipment)
- Dobson, Kate (Principal Investigator) Minto, James (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2027
- MG31709 - Diamond Synchrotron: 4D imaging of enzyme induced carbonate precipitation
- Minto, James (Principal Investigator) Dobson, Kate (Co-investigator) Salter, Philip (Post Grad Student) Divers, Matt (Co-investigator)
- The development of underground storage for CO2 and H2 is an essential part of the green energy transition provided we can prevent leakage into groundwater and the atmosphere. Enzyme induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) is a novel bio-cementation technique that can create the necessary impermeable barriers in porous host rocks where traditional cements and grouts cannot. At present however, limited understanding of the dynamics of EICP, calcite crystal growth, and how this is related to properties of the porous media is slowing development of EICP technologies for real-world deployment. This experiment will use synchrotron XCT to deliver much needed insight into these processes.
- 20-Jan-2024 - 24-Jan-2024
- Scottish Executive High Growth Spin Out - Ureaka
- Minto, James (Principal Investigator) Salter, Philip (Research Co-investigator)
- 10-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
- MG36176 - Diamond Synchrotron: Understanding the controls on saprotrophic fungal growth in porous media
- El Mountassir, Grainne (Principal Investigator) Zhang, Qi (Co-investigator) Minto, James (Co-investigator) Castro, Gloria (Co-investigator) Divers, Matt (Co-investigator) Dobson, Kate (Co-investigator)
- Fungi play vital roles in natural soil ecosystems in the decomposition of organic matter, carbon cycling, nutrient distribution and symbiosis with plants. It is believed that soil fungi and their role in plant-soil feedback processes will play a critical role in achieving global food security amidst land scarcity and soil and water degradation. Furthermore, fungi can offer us solutions to engineering challenges including: remediation of contaminated land and stabilisation of slopes by modifying soil hydraulic and mechanical behaviour. This proposal aims to investigate in fully 3D conditions for the first time the controls on the growth of saprotrophic fungi in soil.
- 13-Jan-2024 - 17-Jan-2024
- Tailings stabilisation (dewatering) utilising MICP
- Minto, James (Principal Investigator) El Mountassir, Grainne (Co-investigator)
- 08-Jan-2024 - 28-Jan-2024
- Understanding the controls on the growth of saprotrophic fungi in soil
- El Mountassir, Grainne (Principal Investigator) Dobson, Kate (Co-investigator) Zhang, Qi (Co-investigator) Fathollahi, Alireza (Co-investigator) Minto, James (Co-investigator)
- XCT beamtime awarded by DIAMOND Light Source, equivalent value of allocated time £60,288 (Session: MG36176-2)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2024
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Contact
Dr
James
Minto
Research Fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Email: james.minto@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted