Engineering perspectives on salt-induced transport limitation in saline aquifers: implications for long-term CO2 storage security

• Halite creates transport-limited regimes and strengthens CO 2 containment. • Halite suppresses calcite/anorthite; kaolinite increases (up to ~11%). • Wettability controls halite-front advance and salt footprint in saline aquifers. • Porosity shifts are small (0.02–0.04), yet permeability drops 0.4–1.0 mD. • Halite boosts capillary trapping (~2.5%) and stabilizes dissolved CO 2 storage.