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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

A novel sub-pilot-scale direct-contact ultrasonic dehydration technology for sustainable production of distillers dried grains (DDG)

DDG is a major source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur is arguably the most important byproduct of the bioethanol industry with increasing demand over the past few years. Reducing energy consumption in the DDG production process and energy recovery from DDG is vital for sustainable bioethanol productions. In this paper, a novel direct-contact multi-frequency, multimode, and modulated (MMM) ultrasonic dryer (US) was developed for the first time and has been applied in dehydration of wet distillers' grain (WDG). Ultrasonic drying (US) was combined with a convective airflow (HA) at different temperatures of 25 (room temperature), 50 and 70 °C to evaluate the impact of US, HA, and US + HA on drying kinetics, activation energy, chemical compositions, microstructure, and color of DDG. Semi-empirical kinetic models were developed and evaluating drying performances showed that the application of ultrasound significantly enhanced the drying rate and decreased the drying time (by 46%), especially at low drying temperatures. The activation energy for moisture removal in the presence of ultrasound was about 50% of that without ultrasound. The final dried distillers' grains product processed by ultrasonic drying had a brighter color, a higher available protein, a higher digestible protein (the lowest acid detergent insoluble crude protein), and a better surface profile with no compromise on minerals and fiber contents.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and microbial mitigation of fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas wells: Example from Indiana, USA

Hydrocarbon gas emissions from active, inactive, and improperly sealed or abandoned oil/gas wells significantly contribute to anthropogenically emitted greenhouse gases, predominantly in the form of methane (CH 4 ). We explored the extent of hydrocarbon gas emissions from 20 active, inactive, plugged and abandoned oil/gas wells in Indiana (USA), where it is estimated that there are more than 80,000 well sites throughout the state. After this initial survey, using a static flux tent, we quantified fugitive CH4 emissions from an active gas well to approximately 2 L h -1 . To evaluate the potential for microbial mitigation of hydrocarbon emissions to the atmosphere, we conducted laboratory microcosm experiments to quantify the CH 4 oxidizing potential of soils collected from sites with varying distances to the leaking gas well. Soils in close proximity to the well (0.5 m) efficiently consumed nearly all (97 %) of the added CH 4 , while only 14 % of added CH 4 was consumed by soils that were more distant from the well (20 m). These results suggest that fugitive CH 4 emissions enrich methanotrophic bacteria in soils immediately adjacent to the well. Consistent with this view, we found that prolonged exposure of soils to elevated concentrations of CH 4 enhanced the methanotrophic activity. Together, these findings prompted us to design a “methanotrophic soil mound” to assess the feasibility of mitigating point sources of CH 4 by harnessing the natural methanotrophic capacity of soil microbial communities. We found that a methanotrophic soil mound from a landfill could sustainably mitigate the CH 4 emission from the artificial source, providing a promising low-cost solution to ameliorate fugitive CH 4 emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells to the atmosphere. Finally, the effectiveness of microbe-based remediation is limited in cold climates and arid environments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimized Incorporation of Furan into Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Conjugated Polymers for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Flexible electronics have received considerable attention in the past decades due to their promising application in rollable display screens, wearable devices, implantable devices, and other electronic applications. Here, in particular, conjugated polymers are favored for flexible electronics due to their mechanical flexibility and potential for solution-processed fabrication techniques, such as blade-coating, roll-to-roll printing, and high-throughput printing allowing for high-performance transistor devices. Thiophene is the prevailing conjugated unit to construct these conjugated polymers due to its favorable electronic properties. On the other hand, furans are among the few conjugated moieties that are easily derived from bio renewable resources. To promote sustainability, we selectively introduced furan into the conjugated backbone of a high-mobility polymer scaffold and systematically studied the effect on the microstructure and charge transport. We show that partially and selectively replacing thiophene units with furan can yield nearly comparable performance compared to the all-thiophene polymer. This strategy offers an improvement in the sustainability of the polymer by incorporating bio-sourced furan without sacrificing the high-performance characteristics. Meanwhile, polymers with incorrect or complete furan incorporation show reduced mobilities. This work serves to develop coherent structure–morphology–performance relationships; such knowledge will establish guidelines for the future development of sustainable, furan-based conjugated materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multi-objective optimization of sustainable aviation fuel production pathways in the U.S. Corn Belt

As a potential source of low-carbon transportation energy, biofuels offer certain advantages over vehicle electrification (e.g., lower societal vulnerability to grid failures, and improved range of sustainable aviation), but also several challenges, including cost, carbon intensity, and land usage. There are also well-founded concerns that biofuel supply chains could be disrupted if extreme weather events impact feedstock yields. In this paper, we explore the use of multi-objective optimization to identify biofuel production pathways that balance cost, greenhouse gas emissions, and supply vulnerability to extreme weather. We compare the use of three different many-objective evolutionary algorithms and linear programming in optimizing biomass cultivation decisions in the U.S. Corn Belt under weather uncertainty using historical, modeled, and synthetic yield data. We consider four feedstock choices (corn, soy, switchgrass, and algae) with two land types (agricultural and marginal lands) and evaluate decisions using three alternative spatial resolutions (ranging from the USDA agricultural district level to the state level). Results show that feedstock choice is the primary driver of objective performance (i.e., the position and shape of 3D, approximate Pareto frontiers). Spatial diversification is a less effective tool in reducing exposure to weather-caused drops in crop yield.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessing the Impact of Renewable Energy Sources to Achieve Net Zero Emissions

The mass generation of green energy through the pathway of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), is one of the major decisive components contributing to the concept of decarbonization. The energy sector assessment reveals that out of per kWh energy produced, renewable energy emits between 9 and 1000 gCO2 equivalent on a life-cycle basis. Contemplating the literature and the latest reports released by world-wide energy department(s), this study presents a comprehensive concept of carbon footprint, its causes and effects including major impact on biodiversity and human life. The study discusses the substantial steps taken by developing countries like India in leveraging RES for the production of energy and its progressive impact on ecology. The discussion would be inclusive of major change and transformation which has brought significant drop of 16% in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by installation of 104.9 GW of RES excluding Hydro. The appropriate steps taken forward therefore align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nation (UN) in achieving net zero emission (NZE).

decarbonization↗
NASA NTRS2009

Chemical Processing of Non-Crop Plants for Jet Fuel Blends Production

The use of Biofuels has been gaining in popularity over the past few years due to their ability to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Biofuels as a renewable energy source can be a viable option for sustaining long-term energy needs if they are managed efficiently. We describe our initial efforts to exploit algae, halophytes and other non-crop plants to produce synthetics for fuel blends that can potentially be used as fuels for aviation and non-aerospace applications. Our efforts have been dedicated to crafting efficient extraction and refining processes in order to extract constituents from the plant materials with the ultimate goal of determining the feasibility of producing biomass-based jet fuel from the refined extract. Two extraction methods have been developed based on communition processes, and liquid-solid extraction techniques. Refining procedures such as chlorophyll removal and transesterification of triglycerides have been performed. Gas chromatography in tandem with mass spectroscopy is currently being utilized in order to qualitatively determine the individual components of the refined extract. We also briefly discuss and compare alternative methods to extract fuel-blending agents from alternative biofuels sources.

Kulis, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Satellite Sea Ice Measurements in the Arctic Ocean

Satellite observations sustained since 1979 have been the primary source of information to reveal Arctic Ocean sea ice extent is diminishing rapidly. Sea ice is also thinning based on historical surface and near-surface records and more recent satellite retrievals. There is a new “normal” environment in the Arctic environment with substantial socio-economic impacts. A key question is: What are the spatial and temporal characteristics of the sea ice thickness distribution throughout the annual cycle, and what is the evolving inter-annual trend? Arctic Ocean sea ice conditions have been determined with passive microwave radiometer, active scatterometer and other satellite instrument measurements recorded by a continuing series of satellites. An important feature of the continuous time series measurements has been the overlap of each new satellite dataset with ongoing measurements so as to provide adequate time intervals for calibration and validation. Satellite instrument diversity has provided both coarse spatial resolution measurements over the entire Arctic Ocean for long-period time series and limited-duration fine spatial resolution data over selected regions for navigation and other applications. Satellite observations of Arctic Ocean sea ice will continue to increase in importance because predictability of sea ice is poor and societal interest is great. Unfortunately, however the sustainability of some critical elements of the current Arctic Ocean satellite measurement suite beyond 2020 remains uncertain, e.g., after the CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 missions have concluded.

Halpern, David↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flow-Assisted Selective Mineral Extraction from Seawater

The sustainable production of critical materials from natural sources requires a paradigm shift away from currently used resource-intensive processes. In this paper, we report a single-step, laminar co-flow method (LCM) that leverages non-equilibrium conditions to selectively extract pure Mg(OH) 2 from natural seawater. Conventional seawater-based Mg extraction involves adding individual or a combination of precipitants to obtain Mg(OH) 2 , but the co-existence of Ca 2+ unavoidably results in CaCO 3 impurities requiring additional purification steps. Here we show that the non-equilibrium conditions in LCM achieved using a microfluidics device and by simply co-injecting a NaOH solution with seawater can result in improved selectivity for Mg(OH) 2 unlike in conventional bulk mixing method. The resulting precipitates are characterized for composition and the process yield and purity are optimized through systematic variations of the reaction time and the concentration of NaOH. This is the first demonstration of LCM for selective separation, and as a one-step process that does not rely on novel sorbents, membranes, or external stimuli, it is easy to scale-up. LCM has the potential to be broadly relevant to selective separations from complex feed streams and diverse chemistries—enabling more sustainable materials extraction and processing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Conversion of poplar biomass into high-energy density tricyclic sesquiterpene jet fuel blendstocks

In an effort to ensure future energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create domestic jobs, the US has invested in technologies to develop sustainable biofuels and bioproducts from renewable carbon sources such as lignocellulosic biomass. Bio-derived jet fuel is of particular interest as aviation is less amenable to electrification compared to other modes of transportation and synthetic biology provides the ability to tailor fuel properties to enhance performance. Specific energy and energy density are important properties in determining the attractiveness of potential bio-derived jet fuels. For example, increased energy content can give the industry options such as longer range, higher load or reduced takeoff weight. Energy-dense sesquiterpenes have been identified as potential next-generation jet fuels that can be renewably produced from lignocellulosic biomass. We developed a biomass deconstruction and conversion process that enabled the production of two tricyclic sesquiterpenes, epi-isozizaene and prespatane, from the woody biomass poplar using the versatile basidiomycete Rhodosporidium toruloides. We demonstrated terpene production at both bench and bioreactor scales, with prespatane titers reaching 1173.6 mg/L when grown in poplar hydrolysate in a 2 L bioreactor. Additionally, we examined the theoretical fuel properties of prespatane and epi-isozizaene in their hydrogenated states as blending options for jet fuel, and compared them to aviation fuel, Jet A. Our findings indicate that prespatane and epi-isozizaene in their hydrogenated states would be attractive blending options in Jet A or other lower density renewable jet fuels as they would improve viscosity and increase their energy density. Saturated epi-isozizaene and saturated prespatane have energy densities that are 16.6 and 18.8% higher than Jet A, respectively. These results highlight the potential of R. toruloides as a production host for the sustainable and scalable production of bio-derived jet fuel blends, and this is the first report of prespatane as an alternative jet fuel.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Modular multi-interface nanocrystals for enhanced ethanol oxidation electrocatalysis

Electrochemical processes that utilize biomass-derived ethanol as a source of electrons and protons offer a sustainable energy strategy, yet their practical implementation is limited by sluggish ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) kinetics and catalyst poisoning. Here, in this study, we report a modular multi-interface nanocrystal catalyst comprising core/shell Co 2 P/Pd and Pd-Au heterostructured interfaces that exhibit complementary functions for the enhanced EOR catalysis. The Co 2 P/Pd interface boosts Pd atom utilization and lowers the kinetic barriers for ethanol-to-acetate conversion, while the Pd-Au interface effectively alleviates CO poisoning caused by C–C bond cleavage of ethanol. In-depth analyses using in situ attenuated total reflectance-surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, and density functional theory calculations elucidate the mechanistic roles of these interfaces. The optimized Co 2 P/Pd-Au 0.08 nanorods achieve an excellent mass activity, underscoring the potential of modular, multi-interface nanocrystals for advancing EOR catalysis and offering a generalizable strategy for broader catalytic innovations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2013

Development of a Standard Test Scenario to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Portable Fire Extinguishers on Lithium-ion Battery Fires

Many sources of fuel are present aboard current spacecraft, with one especially hazardous source of stored energy: lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries are a very hazardous form of fuel due to their self-sustaining combustion once ignited, for example, by an external heat source. Batteries can become extremely energetic fire sources due to their high density electrochemical energy content that may, under duress, be violently converted to thermal energy and fire in the form of a thermal runaway. Currently, lithium ion batteries are the preferred types of batteries aboard international spacecraft and therefore are routinely installed, collectively forming a potentially devastating fire threat to a spacecraft and its crew. Currently NASA is developing a fine water mist portable fire extinguisher for future use on international spacecraft. As its development ensues, a need for the standard evaluation of various types of fire extinguishers against this potential threat is required to provide an unbiased means of comparing between fire extinguisher technologies and ranking them based on performance.

Juarez, Alfredo↗
DOE OSTI2025

A dynamic 2D Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) model for enhanced computational efficiency

Progressing toward a future increasingly reliant on renewable energy sources, the development of effective, durable energy storage solutions becomes essential to balance supply and demand fluctuations. Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) is a long-duration thermal energy storage technology that captures excess heat generated from renewable energy sources and stores it underground for later use, enabling the efficient utilization of sustainable energy. This approach is particularly valuable in district energy networks when integrated with Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) to provide stable heating and cooling. However, traditional three-dimensional (3D) numerical models of BTES systems demand extensive computational resources, limiting their practicality for real-time and large-scale applications. This study introduces a novel two-dimensional (2D) modeling approach that reduces computational costs while maintaining high accuracy. By employing a radial ring-based discretization method, the model simulates heat injection, retention, and retrieval dynamics over seasonal cycles. A new thermal-mass weighted-average temperature parameter is introduced to evaluate the performance of BTES systems. Model validation against FEFLOW simulations demonstrates a 17-fold improvement in computational speed compared to traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models while achieving a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2 % during charging and 4 % during discharging. Additionally, a trade-off analysis between computational efficiency and accuracy is conducted, ensuring the model's applicability for real-world scenarios. The findings of this research contribute to the development of computationally efficient BTES models, facilitating better optimization, control, and integration into renewable energy systems. This work provides a foundation for further studies in techno-economic analysis, multi-year performance evaluation, and real-time operational strategies for BTES applications, supporting a more sustainable energy future.

2D modeling↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tracking the phase changes in micelle-based NiGa nanocatalysts for methanol synthesis under activation and working conditions

The hydrogenation of CO 2 into high energy density fuels such as methanol, where the required H 2 is obtained from renewable sources, is of utmost importance for a sustainable society. In recent years, NiGa alloys have attracted attention as promising catalyst material systems for the hydrogenation of CO 2 into methanol at ambient pressures. They thus represent an energy-saving alternative to the Cu-based catalysts employed in today's catalytic industry that require high pressures for the CO 2 hydrogenation. However, the underlying reaction mechanisms for the NiGa system are still under debate. One of the challenges here is to unravel the evolution and coexistence of the different species in the heterogeneous NiGa catalyst system under activation and reaction conditions. To shed light on their evolution under activation in H 2 and their catalytic roles under CO 2 hydrogenation working conditions on well-defined Ni 3 Ga 1 and Ni 5 Ga 3 nanoparticle (NP) catalysts, we employed a multi-probe approach in this study. It included advanced machine learning-based analysis of operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy data combined with operando powder X-ray diffraction and near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, as well as reactivity studies using bed-packed mass flow reactors. In addition, we employed atomic force microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy for structural characterization. Under H 2 activation at 1 bar total pressure, we concluded the formation of metallic Ni, starting for Ni 3 Ga 1 at 300 °C, and for Ni 5 Ga 3 at 400 °C. At higher temperatures, the formation of NiGa alloys follows. The α'-Ni 3 Ga 1 alloy phase is predominantly formed for the Ni 3 Ga 1 NPs, while the coexistence of α'-Ni 3 Ga 1 , δ-Ni 5 Ga 3 and Ga 2 O 3 phases is observed for the Ni 5 Ga 3 NPs after the H 2 activation. The formation of the Ga 2 O 3 phase also results in the presence of excess metallic Ni. Under CO 2 hydrogenation reaction conditions, Ga partially oxidizes again to form a Ga 2 O 3 -rich particle shell for both NP compositions, yet, to a larger extent for the Ni 3 Ga 1 NPs, which, in turn, feature a higher amount of excess Ni. We reveal that metallic Ni is responsible for the high selectivity of the Ni 3 Ga 1 NPs towards the production of methane in our catalytic tests. In contrast, the Ni 5 Ga 3 NPs display a strong selectivity toward methanol production (>92%), more than one order of magnitude higher than that for the Ni 3 Ga 1 NPs, which we ascribe to the presence of the δ-Ni 5 Ga 3 phase.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

CMPO-Functionalized Silica Sorbents for pH-Tunable Separation and Enrichment of Rare-Earth Elements from Environmental Matrices

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial in many applications, yet mutual separation is challenging due to their similar chemical behavior. Octylphenyl- N,N-diisobutyl carbamoyl methyl phosphine oxide (CMPO) is an organophosphorus ligand originally developed for extracting actinides and lanthanides from spent nuclear fuel. Here, we report a pH-tunable CMPOfunctionalized silica sorbent for selective REE separation from complex aqueous matrices. A CMPO-associated silica gel sorbent was synthesized and characterized by Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface area, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to confirm the surface functionalization and binding behavior. Sorbent performance was evaluated by using a synthetic 46- element solution and a real phosphate rock fertilizer leachate. Notably, REEs were successfully eluted with ultrapure water, demonstrating reversible desorption controlled by pH adjustment. Packed-bed column studies increased the REE mass fraction from 3.6% to 64% (20-fold enrichment), with up to 30-fold enrichment of neodymium. The adsorption process follows the Langmuir isotherm behavior and follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. The uptake capacity of 1 μmol of REEs per 4.2 μmol of CMPO supports the formation of a predominantly 4:1 ligand:rare earth element(III) pseudocomplex. These results demonstrate CMPO-functionalized silica as a selective, water-elutable, and low-chemical-input platform for sustainable REE recovery from environmental and industrial sources.

chelating ligands↗
DOE OSTI2024

2024 OES-Environmental 2024 State of the Science Report, Chapter 9: Beyond Single Marine Renewable Energy Devices: A System-wide Effects Approach

Global expansion of renewable energy, including marine renewable energy (MRE) technology development is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change, facilitate a sustainable transition from carbon-based energy sources, and satisfy national energy security needs using locally produced electricity (European Commission 2022; IPCC 2023; IRENA 2020). As MRE engineering and research continue to focus on designing devices for deployment in nearshore and offshore waters around the world, researchers are also examining potential environmental effects on marine animals, habitats, and ecosystem processes. To date, the focus has been on interactions between small numbers of MRE devices (1-6) and the environment, such as collisions between animals and turbine blades, the effects of underwater noise and electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions, changes in habitats and oceanographic processes, risk of entanglement of animals, and displacement of animals (Boehlert & Gill 2010; Copping & Hemery 2020) (see Chapter 3).

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Hot‐Swappable, Fault‐Tolerant, Modular Power Converter System for Solar Photovoltaic Plants

The performance metrics of the state-of-the-art commercial solar inverters, such as system cost, operation and maintenance (O&M) cost, service life, reliability, maintainability, and power density are much lower than the target metrics needed to achieve SunShot’s 2030 levelized cost of energy (LCOE) goals. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing solar inverters, this project proposed a novel Hot-Swappable, Fault-Tolerant, Modular Power Converter (HSFT-MPC) concept for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants and proved the concept through the design, fabrication, and laboratory test validation of a single-phase HSFT-MPC prototype. The HSFT-MPC has the following distinct advantages over the state-of-the-art: 1) elimination of harmonic/ electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter in the inverter stage due to the novel topology, 2) lower system cost and higher power density due to the modular design, elimination of harmonic/EMI filter, and lower cooling requirement, 3) higher efficiency due to lower switching frequencies, 4) higher reliability and longer (50 years) service life due to simpler cooling and fault tolerance capability, 5) easier installation, lower O&M cost, and improved maintainability due to the modular design and hot-swappable power electronic building blocks (PEBBs), and 6) improved manufacturability due to the modular design. This project developed a single-phase HSFT-MPC prototype with 25kW nominal output power, 2.4kV, 60Hz nominal AC output, lower than 5% AC output voltage total harmonic distortion, over 5 kW/L inverter power density, and 99.4% inverter peak efficiency, being tolerant to failure of single and multiple PEBBs, and capable of hot swapping of the failed PEBB(s). The HSFT-MPC enables uninterruptable operation of the solar PV plant when failure of single or multiple PEBBs or PV modules occurs. Compared with the existing solar inverters in the market, the HSFT-MPC is expected to reduce the inverter failure-caused downtime and energy losses of solar PV plants by more than 60% and 50%, respectively. Project findings have been presented at major conferences in the field and published in peer-reviewed papers, which added new knowledge to the field of power electronics for solar PV systems. A minicourse on Solar PV Systems was developed for outreach activities. The minicourse will help attract young individuals to the renewable energy profession which has a significant talent shortage. The HSFT-MPC is expected to overcome all of the shortcomings of the state-of-the-art solar inverters in terms of cost, efficiency, service life, reliability, maintainability, and manufacturability targets needed to achieve SunShot’s 2030 LCOE goals. Therefore, the proposed HSFT-MPC concept has the great potential to disrupt the current solar inverter market. This project created a pathway towards industry adoption of the HSFT-MPC to help achieve 50-year service life solar PV systems. Since the solar PV plants using the HSFT-MPC will feature with higher reliability, longer service life, and easier maintenance, they are particularly useful for the rural areas with underserved populations that demand reliable and affordable clean electricity. The outcomes of the project have the strong potential to address national needs in the field of renewable energy to reduce CO 2 emissions from the electricity sector, reduce imports of energy from foreign sources, and improve energy security, efficiency, and sustainability. Since electricity is used in almost all of society’s sectors, the outcomes of the project will benefit various sectors of society and economy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimize the Autonomous Sensor Fish Device for Understanding Interactions of Aquatic Animals with Marine and Hydrokinetic and Hydro Systems (CRADA 476) Final Report

This project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) enhances our understanding of how aquatic life interacts with marine renewable energy (MRE) and hydropower systems through the development and testing of advanced sensor technology. The Marine Sensor Fish (MSF) and its smaller variants, the Sensor Fish Mini (SF Mini) and Flexible Sensor Fish (FSF), measure critical environmental stressors, such as shear forces, pressure changes, and strike impacts, that are essential for assessing the risks posed by energy devices, including tidal turbines, hydropower installations, and other MRE infrastructure. Rigorous field testing has shown that these tools are effective in capturing detailed data on turbulence, pressure variations, strike impacts, and other stressors near these devices, providing valuable insights into the conditions faced by aquatic species. Economically, these tools offer renewable energy developers a practical solution for streamlining environmental assessments and ensuring regulatory compliance, ultimately reducing costs associated with evaluating and mitigating ecological impacts. This research also benefits the public by promoting the growth of renewable energy sources that protect aquatic ecosystems, advancing both sustainable energy production and environmental stewardship.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Functional Meta-Analysis of the Proteomic Responses of Arabidopsis Seedlings to the Spaceflight Environment Reveals Multi-Dimensional Sources of Variability across Spaceflight Experiments

The human quest for sustainable habitation of extraterrestrial environments necessitates a robust understanding of life’s adaptability to the unique conditions of spaceflight. This study provides a comprehensive proteomic dissection of the Arabidopsis plant’s responses to the spaceflight environment through a meta-analysis of proteomics data from four separate spaceflight experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) in different hardware configurations. Raw proteomics LC/MS spectra were analyzed for differential expression in MaxQuant and Perseus software. The analysis of dissimilarities among the datasets reveals the multidimensional nature of plant proteomic responses to spaceflight, impacted by variables such as spaceflight hardware, seedling age, lighting conditions, and proteomic quantification techniques. By contrasting datasets that varied in light exposure, we elucidated proteins involved in photomorphogenesis and skotomorphogenesis in plant spaceflight responses. Additionally, with data from an onboard 1 g control experiment, we isolated proteins that specifically respond to the microgravity environment and those that respond to other spaceflight conditions. This study identified proteins and associated metabolic pathways that are consistently impacted across the datasets. Notably, these shared proteins were associated with critical metabolic functions, including carbon metabolism, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and amino acid biosynthesis, underscoring their potential significance in Arabidopsis’ spaceflight adaptation mechanisms and informing strategies for successful space farming.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗