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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10

Drawing on Membrane Photocatalysis for Fouling Mitigation

Photocatalysis is an effective and environmentally friendly approach for degrading organic pollutants, particularly in scenarios where sunlight can be utilized as the energy source. Opportunities are emerging to apply materials and methods from photocatalytic pollutant degradation to address the challenge of fouling. Membrane fouling, attributed to organic foulants, is a prevalent problem for all membrane-based technologies and represents a major deleterious impact on membrane performance. Integration of tactics developed in photocatalysis more broadly to membranes reveals new strategies for membrane fouling control-an approach taken by an increasing number of researchers. Furthermore, this review summarizes key developments in photocatalytic materials and methods in water treatment and presents recent progress in the development of processes for photocatalytic alleviation of membrane fouling, including photocatalyst design and modification strategies aimed at enhancing photocatalytic efficiency, as well as different configurations of photocatalysis-membrane systems (PMS). Perspectives on future research and development opportunities for photocatalytic membrane fouling control are also provided.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hourly PM 2.5 Estimates across California from 2018 to 2023

This study presents a new data set of hourly PM 2.5 concentrations across California from 2018 to 2023 at a three-kilometer resolution. This data set was developed by assimilating observations from PurpleAir and the U.S. EPA Air Quality System monitors into wildfire smoke forecasts from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh Smoke (HRRR-Smoke) model using the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) three-dimensional variational data assimilation framework. Archived forecasts of modeled wildfire smoke PM 2.5 from HRRR-Smoke create the background field for assimilation, which is then corrected using surface observations of total PM 2.5 . The resulting reanalysis from GSI provides an estimate of total PM 2.5 that minimizes error from both the observational and the model data. Validation results indicate strong performance, with monthly R 2 values ranging from 0.73 to 0.91 across the six-year data set, comparable to other PM 2.5 data sets. Case studies are presented for three major fire events, the 2018 Camp Fire, 2019 Kincade Fire, and 2020 Lightning Complex Fires to demonstrate the data set’s fidelity in resolving plume dynamics and local exposure patterns. Root-mean-squared error averaged over each month scales with average PM 2.5 concentrations, resulting in a low error under typical conditions but higher absolute errors during extreme smoke events. This is the first long-term, hourly PM 2.5 data set of its kind for California and enables the generation of subdaily exposure metrics, such as peak hourly concentrations, exceedance durations, and time-of-day exposure peaks. The novelty and strong validation of this data set make it a compelling resource for future studies on the impact and significance of subdaily PM 2.5 exposure.

PM2.5↗

Meteorological Conditions and Atmospheric Components Concentration in Urban Sites in Knoxville, USA. 2024

This dataset, which contains five csv files, reports several meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and net radiation measured in Cumberland Estates Park (CEP) and Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED) sites in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Also, hourly concentration of particulate matter (PM) with different aerodynamic diameter and inorganic gases such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide measured in the two are included in this dataset. The concentrations of PM and inorganic gases were monitored using the MODULAIR, a low-cost sensor equipped with a solar power module. The measurement of the concentration of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the two sites was determined using a High-Resolution Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS). The VOCs were collected using miniature canister (400 mL) equipped with female RAVEqc valve to 1/4” male compression fitting and an integrated passive air sampling kit. This work is a part of a larger study which investigates the impact of soil moisture and plant evapotranspiration on ambient temperature and relative humidity in several city parks in Knoxville, Tennessee.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

PhenoProfiling: Mapping phenotypic outcomes to molecular determinants of biochemical activity

The aggregate genomes of the trillions of microorganisms within soil, animal hosts, and aquatic systems encode for an extensive functional capacity for myriad biochemical activities. C, N, P, and S metabolism, synthesis of signaling molecules and vitamins, mineralization, and other activities are essential to microbe, community, and plant physiology, and more broadly to climate, water, animal, flora, and human health. The current understanding of the molecular basis for the function of microbial communities stems primarily from comparative metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies. These same tools are employed to ascertain the impacts to the community resulting from perturbations, such as climate change, emerging pollutants, fires, and seawater infiltration for environmental communities, and dietary changes, xenobiotic exposure, and various disease states for the human gut microbiome. Such studies can identify the potential for a specific function, but they cannot determine that a particular cell is functionally active, nor can they determine the molecular architecture required for function. In short, genes and transcripts alone fail to reveal the complex subcellular arrangement of proteins and molecules that elicit a given phenotype in a microbial cell.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

2022 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan Summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL, or the Laboratory) produced a Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan (VARP) following Department of Energy (DOE) Guidance to assess and manage climate change related risks to the Laboratory’s assets and operations. This is a condensed summary of the Laboratory’s 2022 VARP – the full version of the document is not publicly available at this time. The VARP was led by the Pollution Prevention (P2) Program in the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division (EPC-DO) and covers the entirety of the 36-square-mile LANL site in Los Alamos, New Mexico. A Steering Committee, composed of representatives from the three main Laboratory Directorates and the Los Alamos Field Office, identified real property Critical Assets based on their Mission Dependency Index (MDI) scores. LANL used MDI scores of 70 and above, which are considered Mission-Critical, to generate a list of 141 Critical Asset facilities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Mixture Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Embryonic and Larval Sheepshead Minnows ( Cyprinodon variegatus )

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous and persistent environmental contaminants originating from many everyday products. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are two PFAS that are commonly found at high concentrations in aquatic environments. Both chemicals have previously been shown to be toxic to fish, as well as having complex and largely uncharacterized mixture effects. However, limited information is available on marine and estuarine species. In this study, embryonic and larval sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) were exposed to several PFAS mixtures to assess lethal and sublethal effects. PFOS alone was acutely toxic to larvae, with a 96 h LC50 of 1.97 mg/L (1.64–2.16). PFOS + PFOA resulted in a larval LC 50 of 3.10 (2.62–3.79) mg/L, suggesting an antagonistic effect. These observations were supported by significant reductions in malondialdehyde (105% ± 3.25) and increases in reduced glutathione concentrations (43.8% ± 1.78) in PFOS + PFOA exposures compared to PFOS-only treatments, indicating reduced oxidative stress. While PFOA reduced PFOS-induced mortality (97.0% ± 3.03), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) did not. PFOS alone did not affect expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (pparα) but significantly upregulated apolipoprotein A4 (apoa4) (112.4% ± 17.8), a downstream product of pparα, while none of the other individually tested PFAS affected apoa4 expression. These findings suggest that there are antagonistic interactions between PFOA and PFOS that may reduce mixture toxicity in larval sheepshead minnows through reduced oxidative stress. Elucidating mechanisms of toxicity and interactions between PFAS will aid environmental regulation and management of these ubiquitous pollutants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Leveraging Environmental Monitoring Results from Department of Energy Sites for Research on the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

The Annual Site Environmental Report (ASER) from a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Site summarizes environmental data; environmental management performance; compliance with applicable DOE, federal, state, and local regulations; and restoration and surveillance monitoring programs. The Savannah River Site (SRS) produces ASERs that include results of monitoring mercury levels in fish samples obtained in the vicinity of SRS. Mercury is a toxic trace metal and the methylated organic form is a neurotoxin that bioaccumulates in the food web, endangering humans and other organisms. In United States, power plants are the largest source of mercury emissions. Research Objective: To determine the patterns of mercury levels in fish samples reported in the SRS environmental monitoring reports. We developed box plot visualizations to make sense of the data as well as identify fish species, dates and location with outlier mercury content. The integration and visual representation of multi-year datasets can support decision making processes on environmental compliance and environmental sustainability conducted at U.S. DOE Sites. We are constructing datasets from textual, image and multivariable data sources in the multi-year ASERs of the U.S. DOE Savannah River Site (SRS https://www.srs.gov/general/pubs/ERsum/index.html). The Fish Surveillance for mercury presents a case study for the intersection of food, energy and water systems. The dataset of 864 records (2008 and 2009) of mercury levels includes water location of fish, fish species, collection date and mercury content of fish sample. The patterns of mercury levels in the fish species as well as locations provide knowledge for further investigations. A research area for future studies is the composition of microbial communities in fish guts of varying levels of mercury.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Riverine Plastic Pollution: Field Sampling Protocol and Implementation in U.S. Rivers

Riverine plastic pollution is increasingly being recognized as a serious environmental concern. The flux of plastic from U.S. rivers into the oceans is estimated to be on the order of hundreds of tons per year. Plastic pollution has been detected in all major U.S. rivers but the observations did not measure metrics that could be used for mass flux calculations. The Department of Energy is addressing the problem of riverine plastic pollution with the Waterborne Plastics Resource Assessment and Debris Characterization (WaterPACT) project. Phase one of the WaterPACT project includes the development of a sampling protocol, field sampling events that implement the protocol, and numerical modeling studies. The field sampling will quantify and characterize the plastic pollution and the numerical modeling studies will analyze the movement of the plastic pollution by rivers. This report details the WaterPACT sampling protocol and its implementation in four major U.S. rivers. The WaterPACT sampling protocol was implemented in the Mississippi, Columbia, Delaware, and Los Angeles rivers with at least three sampling events in each river. The rivers represent four types ranging from the large Mississippi with its vast agricultural watershed to the small Los Angeles with its highly engineered urban waterway. The three sampling events covered a variety of discharge conditions from low drought flow to extreme storm events. The data obtained by the WaterPACT sampling of the four rivers will be combined to provide an invaluable dataset to researchers studying the source and chemical composition of plastic pollution and modelers estimating the flux of plastic being transported to and released into the oceans.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Optimal Design of Sustainable Ammonia-Based Food–Energy–Water Systems with Nitrogen Management

As the basis for virtually any form of nitrogen fertilizers, ammonia plays a vital role in agriculture; in addition, there has been an increased interest in its use as a carbon-free energy carrier. However, ammonia is also associated with two major environmental concerns: CO 2 emissions from the conventional production process and nitrogen pollution from the excessive use of ammonia-based fertilizers. To mitigate these environmental impacts, we develop an optimization framework for the design of a sustainable ammonia-based agricultural system that synergistically integrates the production of ammonia from renewable resources and effective measures for nitrogen management. The proposed model captures the effect of intermittency by incorporating both design and detailed operational decisions. Here, by applying a multiscale time representation that reduces the problem size and a tailored surrogate model that accurately approximates model nonlinearity, we are able to achieve optimal solutions within reasonable computation times. A computational case study is conducted using real-world data from a local farm in Morris, Minnesota, and the results indicate the trade-off between cost and nitrogen loss. Importantly, we show that practicing effective nitrogen management can significantly reduce the nitrogen loss with only a small increase in net present cost.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

Recovery of Rare Earth Element from Acid Mine Drainage Using Organo-Phosphorus Extractants and Ionic Liquids

Acid mine drainage is a legacy environmental issue and one of the largest pollutants in many mining districts throughout the world. In prior work, the authors have developed a process for the recovery of critical materials, including the rare earth elements, from acid mine drainage using a preconcentration step followed by solvent extraction as a concentration and purification technology. As part of the downstream technology development efforts, we have synthesized a suite of ionic liquid extractants that facilitate greater separation factors leading to lower capital costs and reduced environmental impacts. This article provides a comparison of the conventional extractants D2EHPA, EHEHPA and C572 with their respective ionic liquids [c101][D2EHP,c101][EHEHP] and [c101][C572] for the recovery of rare earth elements from acid mine drainage. In the study, laboratory-scale, multi-contact solvent extraction tests were conducted at high and low extractant/dosages. The results show that the ionic liquids varied in performance, with [c101][D2EHP] and [c101][EHEHP] performing poorer than their conventional counterparts and [c101][c572] performing better. Recommendations for further study on [c101][c572] include stripping tests, continuous pilot testing, and techno-economic analysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Remining and Restoring Abandoned US Mining Sites: The Case for Materials Needed for Zero-Carbon Transition

The electricity generation sector is responsible for 25% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus has been the focus of efforts to transition to clean energy and sustainable development in many nations. In the past 20 years, renewable energy sources have been the fastest-growing energy source in the world, comprising almost 29% of the world’s electricity generation in 2020. Renewable energy sources are expected to comprise nearly 95% of the world’s power capacity growth through 2026, with a share of planned capacity expansion of up to 46% in 2026. The rapid development of renewable energy sources and technologies will require an enormous amount of raw materials to replace coal and gas plants and increase in the capacity to handle growing electricity demand because renewable energy sources have a low-power density and intermittent behavior. Accounting for the expected scale of rapidly deploying renewable energy sources that require rare earth elements (REEs), cement, and steel, the mining industry may face a supply problem for the materials critical for clean energy. And, as the exploration and development of new mining sites can be expensive and risky, the mining industry may require economic stimuli to grow supply. The increasing demand for renewable energy resources makes mining a threat to the environment unless proper regulations are established and calls for remining, cleanup, and circular economic development are made. Mining also contributes to environmental injustices related to the exploitation and pollution of lands near communities that are dependent on biodiversity in the area, while not always benefiting from technological advancements provided by the use of renewable energy and technologies. This study explored the opportunity of remining abandoned mining waste to extract metals and minerals essential for the production of renewable energy sources. The authors analyzed materials used in the production of these technologies, materials readily available in the United States, and which materials can be extracted locally in the United States from abandoned mine waste. The authors also studied environmental injustices that populations near mining sites experience and ways to mitigate these injustices, such as providing more control over extraction and cleanup activities, providing more job opportunities in those areas, and offsetting costs associated with cleanup and land restoration projects.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Transformative Impacts of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy on Environmental and Biological Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

This manuscript will present an advancement of transformative research that has been conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) over a 25-year period (2000–2025) on a variety of environmental and biological matrices. These investigations derived a fundamental understanding of how elemental detection and analysis of these matrices led to the knowledge and discovery of natural processes in plants and the environment. Each project led to the initiation of a new research area which unearthed awesome and novel breakthroughs. Highlights are listed below: 1. The preliminary research at ORNL centered on the detection of aerosols utilizing Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technology. The Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990 highlighted the importance of identifying hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) due to their impact on environmental and human health, thereby underscoring the need to detect various toxic elements. Research in aerosol chemistry aimed to identify these harmful elements released by factories during periods of increased emissions in their manufacturing processes. LIBS emerged as the most effective method for real-time, in situ measurements of metal species in both gaseous and aerosol phases. 2. An understanding of the presence of total carbon in soils gives perspective on how to develop carbon sequestration strategies. The recognition that carbon sinks can evolve back to carbon sources to emit back to the atmosphere was an important consideration. Also, the concentration of carbon in soil indicates the health of land areas for growing crops successfully. 3. The direct detection of most of the elements in a wood sample in a single emission spectrum, without sample preparation, encouraged the research to use the LIBS technique for preservative treated wood coupled with use of multivariate statistical methodology. Additionally, it encouraged the researchers to try to differentiate natural woods from different parts of the country, and it was successfully demonstrated that LIBS coupled with MVA analysis could differentiate wood of different species from each other and of similar species grown in different environments based on their elemental spectra. This was a breakthrough since it revealed a systematic approach to connect elemental scarcity and abundance to either drought or typical rainfall conditions for the hardwood trees grown in specific areas. 4. Furthermore, the research progressed to reveal physiological and developmental processes contributing to biomass production such that the variation in leaf elemental composition increases our understanding of terrestrial nutrient cycles, as well as tracking the transfer of toxic elements from soils to living organisms. 5. Recently another breakthrough viz., ionomics initiated the correlation of elements to specific genes, uncovering the function that the element performed in the plant. More recently, this has been extended from plants to fungi as well as fungi growing in symbiotic relations with plants.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Natural gas shortages during the “coal-to-gas” transition in China have caused a large redistribution of air pollution in winter 2017

The Chinese “coal-to-gas” and “coal-to-electricity” strategies aim at reducing dispersed coal consumption and related air pollution by promoting the use of clean and low-carbon fuels in northern China. Here, we show that on top of meteorological influences, the effective emission mitigation measures achieved an average decrease of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentrations of ~14% in Beijing and surrounding areas (the “2+26” pilot cities) in winter 2017 compared to the same period of 2016, where the dispersed coal control measures contributed ~60% of the total PM 2.5 reductions. However, the localized air quality improvement was accompanied by a contemporaneous~15% upsurge of PM 2.5 concentrations over large areas in southern China. We find that the pollution transfer that resulted from a shift in emissions was of a high likelihood caused by a natural gas shortage in the south due to the coal-to-gas transition in the north. The overall shortage of natural gas greatly jeopardized the air quality benefits of the coal-to-gas strategy in winter 2017 and reflects structural challenges and potential threats in China’s clean-energy transition.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Molecular detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is crucial in environmental mitigation and remediation of these persistent pollutants. We demonstrate that time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a viable technique to analyze and identify these substances at parts per trillion (ppt) level in real field samples without complicated sample preparation due to its superior surface sensitivity. Several representative PFAS compounds, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluoheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and real-world groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells installed around at a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Southern California were analyzed in this work. ToF-SIMS spectral comparison depicts sensitive identification of pseudo-molecular ions, characteristic of reference PFASs. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) shows clear discrimination among real samples and reference compounds. Our results show that characteristic molecular ion and fragments peaks can be used to identify PFASs. Furthermore, SIMS two-dimensional (2D) images directly exhibit the distribution of perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA) and PFOS in simulated mixtures and real wastewater samples. Such findings indicate that ToF-SIMS is useable to determine PFAS compounds in complex environmental water samples. In conclusion, ToF-SIMS provides simple sample preparation and high sensitivity in mass spectral imaging, offering an alternative solution for environmental forensic analysis of PFASs in wastewater in the future.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Heavy metal imprints in Antarctic snow from research and tourism

Antarctica, long regarded as one of the last pristine environments on Earth, is increasingly affected by human activity. As tourism surges and scientific operations expand, air pollution from local emissions is raising new environmental concerns. Here, in this study, we analyze surface snow samples collected along a ~2,000 km transect, from the South Shetland Islands (62°S) to the Ellsworth Mountains (79°S), to map the geochemical fingerprints of aerosol deposition. We identify distinct spatial patterns shaped by crustal, marine, biogenic, and anthropogenic sources. Notably, we detect heavy metal imprints in the snow chemistry of the northern Antarctic Peninsula, where major research stations are concentrated and marine tourism traffic is most intense. Our findings shed light on the extent of the impacts from energy-intensive local activities in Antarctica, underscoring the need for enhanced environmental monitoring and sustainable management strategies in this fragile region.

Cordero, Raúl R. [Univ. of Groningen, Leeuwarden (↗

Evaluation of short-term initial performance of a “Molekule Air” portable air cleaner

The aim of this project was to evaluate and characterize the performance of a MOLEKULE AIR air cleaner unit. The testing protocol comprised the evaluation of an unused Molekule Air unit operating at maximum (“boost” setting) fan speed setting. The device was tested over initial short-term periods of 70-80 h of continuous operation. The tested air cleaner was challenged in separate experiments with a well-characterized mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and with ozone. All tests were performed at realistic pollutant levels in a 20-m 3 environmental stainless-steel chamber. Variables controlled and measured in this study included the chamber temperature, relative humidity, the composition and concentration of the challenge VOCs, and the concentrations of ozone. Potential formation of byproducts was also investigated to assess the overall performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption Resource Guide for Government Fleets in Jackson County, Illinois

As part of Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided technical assistance to Jackson County, Illinois to help develop their clean energy transition roadmap. Fleet electrification was identified as a potential pathway that could address the environmental injustices, high energy burden, and local pollution experienced by this former coal community. NREL worked with Jackson County, Illinois to develop a resource guide that can assist fleet managers considering a transition to electric light-duty fleet vehicles. To further understand the unique challenges of fleet electrification in Jackson County, NREL met with three leaders within the county who either managed current fleets or were responsible for fleet purchases. This resource guide includes best practices and resources that address many of the frequently asked questions that arose during these discussions. Interested fleets can then use this resource guide to help identify the initial steps needed to plan for vehicle electrification. The resource guide summarizes the basics of electric vehicle (EV) adoption for fleets, funding and incentive pathways, total cost of ownership in comparison to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, charging infrastructure, and pilot programs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Coupling nitrate capture with ammonia production through bifunctional redox-electrodes

Abstract Nitrate is a ubiquitous aqueous pollutant from agricultural and industrial activities. At the same time, conversion of nitrate to ammonia provides an attractive solution for the coupled environmental and energy challenge underlying the nitrogen cycle, by valorizing a pollutant to a carbon-free energy carrier and essential chemical feedstock. Mass transport limitations are a key obstacle to the efficient conversion of nitrate to ammonia from water streams, due to the dilute concentration of nitrate. Here, we develop bifunctional electrodes that couple a nitrate-selective redox-electrosorbent (polyaniline) with an electrocatalyst (cobalt oxide) for nitrate to ammonium conversion. We demonstrate the synergistic reactive separation of nitrate through solely electrochemical control. Electrochemically-reversible nitrate uptake greater than 70 mg/g can be achieved, with electronic structure calculations and spectroscopic measurements providing insight into the underlying role of hydrogen bonding for nitrate selectivity. Using agricultural tile drainage water containing dilute nitrate (0.27 mM), we demonstrate that the bifunctional electrode can achieve a 8-fold up-concentration of nitrate, a 24-fold enhancement of ammonium production rate (108.1 ug h −1 cm −2 ), and a >10-fold enhancement in energy efficiency when compared to direct electrocatalysis in the dilute stream. Our study provides a generalized strategy for a fully electrified reaction-separation pathway for modular nitrate remediation and ammonia production.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗