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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

The diversity of aluminum-based drinking water treatment residuals for use in environmental remediation

Drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) are complex mixtures of organic and inorganic phases generally disposed of as waste materials. However, their strong sorptive properties could be further exploited to immobilize contaminants. To characterize these materials, we applied a range of analytical techniques to a set of aluminum-based DWTRs. Here we determined surface areas, elemental compositions using CHNS analysis and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), performed thermogravimetric analyses paired with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), and used synchrotron-based methods: X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Elemental analyses and specific surface area measurements – that vary between 7.23 ± 0.03 and 197.6 ± 0.9 m 2 g –1 – indicate that non-coagulant additives must play an important role in controlling sorption. High resolution powder XRD reveals the presence of only a few crystalline minerals mostly derived from source waters or additives. Fe was detected by XRF in all samples, whereas Mn was present in significant levels in samples with potassium permanganate as additive. The chemical speciation of these elements was characterized by performing spectral decompositions of XAS spectra. The spectral features of Fe are consistent with iron(III) oxides/hydroxides and structural iron in clays. On the other hand, Mn is predominantly present under its reduced form, Mn(II).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of an In-Flight Refill Unit for Replenishing Research Animal Drinking Water

The Spacelab Life Sciences 2 (SLS-2) mission became NASA's longest duration Shuttle mission, lasting fourteen days, when Columbia landed on 1 Nov. 1993. Located within the Spacelab were a total of 48 laboratory rats which were housed in two Research Animal Holding Facilities (RAHF's) developed by the Space Life Sciences Payloads Office (SLSPO) at Ames Research Center. In order to properly maintain the health and well-being of these important research animals, sufficient quantities of food and water had to be available for the duration of the mission. An inflight Refill Unit was developed by the SLSPO to replenish the animals' drinking water inflight using the Shuttle potable water system in the middeck galley as the source of additional water. The Inflight Refill Unit consists of two major subsystems, a Fluid Pumping Unit (FPU) and a Collapsible Water Reservoir (CWR). The FPU provides the system measurement and controls, pump, water lines, and plumbing necessary to collect water coming into the unit from the potable water system and pump it out and into the RAHF drinking water tanks. The CWR is a Kevlar(trademark) reinforced storage bladder, connected to the FPU, which has a capacity of 6 liters in its expanded volume and functions to store the water collected from the potable water system and allows for the transport of the water back to the Spacelab where it is pumped into each of two RAHFs. Additional components of the FPU system include the inlet and outlet fluid hoses, a power cable for providing 28 volt direct current spacecraft electrical power to the pump within the FPU, a tether system for the unit when in use in Spacelab, and an adapter for mating the unit to the orbiter waste collection system in order to dump excess water after use in Spacelab. This paper will present the design process and development approach for the lnflight Refill Unit, define some of the key design issues which had to be addressed, and summarize the inflight operational performance of the unit during the SLS-2 mission.

Savage, P. D.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Application of electron beam technology to decompose persistent emerging drinking water contaminants: poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-Dioxane

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane are persistent emerging contaminants that are currently under consideration for federal and state-specific regulations in drinking water. Both PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are highly resistant to degradation and are not effectively removed by conventional drinking water treatment systems. Results from the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 3 survey showed that >540 sites across the nation are contaminated with both PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. Hence, there is a need to identify technologies that can effectively remove both these contaminants. Water treatment via electron beam (e-beam) has been proven effective at treating a wide range of contaminants, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), polychlorinated biphenyls, and trichloroethylene. While the e-beam process is often considered similar to advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), e-beam technology is unique in that it produces both highly oxidizing and reducing species at the same time. The specific objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the effectiveness of 9 MeV electrons provided by the Fermilab’s Accelerator Application Development and Demonstration (A2D2) tool to decompose PFAS and 1,4-dioxane; (ii) assess the formation of byproducts during water treatment; (iii) apply the optimized treatment to field groundwater samples contaminated with PFAS and 1,4-dioxane, and (iv) assess the energy demands for the treatment of these contaminants using e-beam. Results from this study showed that e-beam is effective in treating both 1,4-dioxane and PFAS. Complete degradation of 1,4-dioxane was observed at a dose of 5 kGy for an initial concentration of up to 1 ppm without the need for any sample modification. The electrical energy per order (EEo) for treatment of 1,4-dioxane ranged from 0.46 to 0.72 kWh/m 3 /order and was comparable and even lower, in some cases, than other AOP technologies. Alkaline conditions (pH 13) and low dissolved oxygen concentration (2 mg/L) highly favored the treatment of PFAS by e-beam. Greater than 90% removal of PFOA and PFOS from an initial concentration of 100 to 500 ppb was achieved at a dose of 250 kGy and 500 kGy, respectively, under optimized conditions. The degradation efficiency was not significantly changed when treating other PFAS of fluorinated carbon chain length of 5 to 7 individually at 250 kGy with a removal ranging from 85¬–99% for different compounds. Short chain PFAS (perfluorobutanoate: PFBA and perfluorobutane sulfonate: PFBS) did not degrade under the same conditions at 250 kGy, but 70 to 99% degradation was observed at a higher dose of 1000 kGy. Short chain PFAS (perfluorohexanoate: PFHxA (C5) and perfluoroheptanoate: PFHpA (C6)) were detected after treatment of PFOA, but not after PFOS treatment. Inability to close the mass balance through targeted analysis suggests the presence of other intermediates not detectable by available analytical methods. When treating PFAS mixture containing ten compounds at equimolar concentration of 0.05 µM each, preferential degradation of polyfluorinated compound (6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate or 6:2 FTS) followed by C8 and C7 compounds was observed as a function of increasing e-beam dose. About 30% degradation of ΣPFAS was observed at 250 kGy and no further removal was observed up to a dose of 1000 kGy. C4 to C6 PFASs showed no degradation, while C3 PFAS (PFBS) showed an increase in concentration by 34% at 1000 kGy due to formation from the breakdown of other long chain PFAS. These results suggested that (a) the reaction kinetics is likely different for different PFAS based on chain length, functional group, and the degree of fluorination of the carbon chain, and (b) there may be intermediates generated from the degradation of 6:2 FTS and C7/C8 compounds that can potentially scavenge hydrated electrons needed for reaction with the untreated PFAS molecules. Treatment of three PFAS-contaminated groundwater samples from two US states showed similar trends as observed in the treatment of equimolar PFAS mixtures. Up to 71% removal of ΣPFAS was achieved in real groundwater samples at 750 kGy and data trend suggested that higher degradation is feasible if higher doses (>1MGy) are applied to treat field samples to overcome matrix effects and competing species. Calculated EEo for PFAS ranged from as low as ~48 to 1081 kWh/m 3 /order depending on the type of PFAS treated. These values are comparable and even lower, in some cases, than other destructive technologies employed for PFAS treatment such as ultrasound, plasma, and photochemical treatment. The results from this study indicate e-beam is a promising approach under favorable conditions and should be explored further as an end-of-train treatment option for PFAS destruction.

1,4-Dioxane↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rapid photooxidation and removal of As(III) from drinking water using Fe-Mn composite oxide

Fe-Mn composite oxide (FMO) is widely applied to the oxidation and removal of As(III) from water. However, As(III) can directly reduce manganese oxides, decreasing the oxidation capacity or reusability and thereby greatly limiting the applicability of FMO. Here, the oxidation capacity and reusability of FMO for As(III) were efficiently improved by light radiation, and the effect of typical coexisting ions (SO 4 2– and Ca 2+ ) on the removal of As(III) was also studied. O 2 •– produced from excited manganese oxide and ligand-to-metal charge transfer in iron oxide-As(III) complex enhanced As(III) oxidation and removal under light radiation. At an initial As(III) concentration of 1000 μg L –1 , the total As concentration was respectively decreased to 11.5, 1.5 and 4.4 μg L –1 under darkness, UV light and sunlight at 180 min, and could be reduced to below the guideline limitation of drinking water (10 μg L –1 ) within 40 and 60 min under UV light and sunlight, respectively. SO 4 2– exhibited negligible effect on As removal efficiency because FMO had obviously lower adsorption capacity and selectivity for SO 4 2– than for As(V). The adsorption of coexisting Ca 2+ on manganese oxide decreased the negative charge on the FMO surface, thereby improving As(III) adsorption and oxidation. FMO exhibited excellent reusability, and a total As removal efficiency of 99.1% was still maintained after five cycles of an adsorption-desorption process under UV light. Finally, this work elucidates the photochemical oxidation and removal mechanism of FMO for As(III), and proposes a low-cost and efficient method for the detoxification of As(III)-contaminated drinking water.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2009

Compatibility Study of Silver Biocide in Drinking Water with Candidate Metals for Crew Exploration Vehicle Potable Water System

The stability of silver biocide, used to keep drinking water on the CEV potable water sterile, is unknown as the system design is still in progress. Silver biocide in water can deplete rapidly when exposed to various metal surfaces. Additionally, silver depletion rates may be affected by the surface-area-to-volume (SA/V) ratios in the water system. Therefore, to facilitate the CEV water system design, it would be advantageous to know the biocide depletion rates in water exposed to the surfaces of these candidate metals at various SA/V ratios. Certain surface treatments can be employed to reduce the depletion rates of silver compared to the base metal. The purpose of this work is to determine the compatibility of specific spaceflight-certified metals that could used in the design of the CEV potable water system with silver biocide as well as understand the effect of surface are to volume ratios of metals used in the construction of the potable water system on the silver concentration.

Adam, Niklas M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measuring environmental and cost benefits of riparian buffers for drinking water production in a Midwest watershed

Here, this study focuses on the economic value and carbon benefits of riparian buffers in urban drinking water production. The impact of riparian buffers on the waterworks operation in the Raccoon River watershed was quantified using the following metrics: nitrate concentration, days of nitrate removal operation, material and energy cost (based on 17 years of historical records with a watershed model), regression, and cost analysis. The findings indicate that the presence of riparian buffers in agricultural land can substantially decrease nitrate concentration in the water intake of the waterworks during the crop-growing season: 19% in April, 9% in May, and 11% in June. These reductions mean less nitrate treatment of the plant intake flow: 23% in April, 12% in May, and 3% in June. These changes lead to significant resource savings: 425 metric tons of sodium chloride (NaCl), 147 810 kWh of electricity, 253 metric tons of powdered activated carbon, and 20.8 million liters of fresh water. The buffers would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 86.9 metric tons (CO 2 equivalent) in 17 years. The total cost saving was estimated at $\$$327 326, with the highest potential savings in May ($\$$215 100), followed by April ($\$$65 465), and June ($\$$46 761). When factoring in buffer installation, cropland loss, nitrate removal, and cost associated with buffer harvest for biofuel in an established biomass market, the benefit to the entire watershed community would be $\$$2.63 million annually. The results underscore the significant cost benefits and environmental benefits associated with cropland riparian buffers in a watershed community. The approach employed in this study holds promise for assessing riparian buffer benefits in other watersheds, contributes to an understanding of sustainable water management practices, and provides a basis for decision making in a wide range of agricultural regions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Underground sources of drinking water chemistry changes in response to potential CO 2 leakage

The purpose of this study was to quantify changes to underground sources of drinking water (USDW) quality in response to potential CO 2 leakage from geologic CO 2 sequestration (GCS) reservoirs. Here, the developed a framework of combined laboratory experiments and reactive transport simulations and used this framework to evaluate the Ogallala aquifer overlying the Farnsworth Unit (FWU), an active GCS site, as a case study. Using chemical reaction parameters obtained from laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, site-specific mechanisms of CO 2 -water-sediment interactions at the USDW aquifer were interpreted. Long-term risks of potential CO 2 leakage were then evaluated with field-scale numerical models using the regional hydrogeological characteristics and reaction parameters obtained from our experiments and simulations. Results suggest that carbonate mineral impurity and cation exchange are key mechanisms for interactions between CO 2 and the aquifer sediment. Additionally, for a large leakage rate of 0.1 % injection from one leaky well, the leakage plume might impact an area of 300 m in diameter and significantly affect the local water quality by changing pH and cation concentrations (e.g., Zn, Ba and Sr). After leakage ceases, the zone of impacted fluids would not migrate significantly in subsequent decades due to a low regional groundwater flowrate (for this case study). The relatively small area of impact might not be detected in a monitoring well given the broader spacing in a typical field scenario. Effective early leakage detection may require additional tools, e.g., borehole CO 2 movement, four-dimensional seismicity, CO 2 soil flux, samples from deeper aquifers, etc., to ensure effective leakage detection and long-term safety of GCS projects.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2021

Acute health effects associated with satellite-determined cyanobacterial blooms in a drinking water source in Massachusetts

The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater presents a threat to human health. However, epidemiological studies on the association between cyanobacterial blooms in drinking water sources and human health outcomes are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate if cyanobacterial blooms were associated with increased emergency room visits for gastrointestinal (GI), respiratory and dermal illnesses.

Remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS1995

An inflight refill unit for replenishing research animal drinking water

This paper presents the design process and development approach for a method of maintaining sufficient quantities of water for research animals during a Shuttle mission of long duration. An inflight refill unit (IRU) consisting of two major subsystems, a fluid pumping unit (FPU) and a collapsible water reservoir (CWR), were developed. The FPU provides the system measurement and controls, pump, water lines, and plumbing necessary to collect water coming into the unit from the potable water system and pump it out into the RAHF drinking water tanks. The CWR is a Kevlar (TM) reinforced storage bladder connected to the FPU, which has a capacity of 6 liters in its expanded volume and functions to store the water collected from the potable water system, allowing for transport of the water back to the Spacelab where it is pumped into each of two research animal holding facilities. Additional components of the IRU system include the inlet and outlet fluid hoses, a power cable for providing 29V direct current spacecraft electrical power to the pump within the FPU, a tether system for the unit when in use in Spacelab, and an adapter for mating the unit to the orbiter waste collection system in order to dump excess water after use in Spacelab.

Savage, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Photocatalytic Coats in Glass Drinking-Water Bottles

According to a proposal, the insides of glass bottles used to store drinking water would be coated with films consisting of or containing TiO2. In the presence of ultraviolet light, these films would help to remove bacteria, viruses, and trace organic contaminants from the water.

Andren, Anders W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing Drinking Water Quality Modeling: Leveraging Physics Informed Neural Networks for Learning with Imperfect Reaction Models and Partial Data

Chemical kinetics models, typically formulated as systems of ordinary or partial differential equations, are valuable tools for simulating drinking water quality. However, these models often face inaccuracies due to discrepancies between the laboratory and the real-world conditions, as well as limitations in experimental analytical methods, hindering the accurate representation of the true underlying chemical mechanisms. In this study, we propose a Physics Informed Neural Network (PINN), using the eXtreme Theory of Functional Connections, to improve the prediction of chemical concentrations over time. The PINN method accounts for imperfect chemical models and incorporates partial data to improve predictions. Focusing on reactions describing water disinfection residual and disinfectant byproduct formation, which are crucial for public health and regulatory compliance, we demonstrate that the PINN model is able to accurately predict the concentrations of chemical species across various pH values. Notably, the model extends its accuracy to predict concentrations of chemical species not originally included in its training data. The developed method can be extended to a variety of chemical systems, offering a wide array of potential applications.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Health-risk based approach to setting drinking water standards for long-term space missions

In order to develop plausible and appropriate drinking water contaminant standards for longer-term NASA space missions, such as those planned for the Space Exploration Initiative, a human health risk characterization was performed using toxicological and exposure values typical of space operations and crew. This risk characterization showed that the greatest acute waterborne health concern was from microbial infection leading to incapacitating gastrointestinal illness. Ingestion exposure pathways for toxic materials yielded de minimus acute health risks unlikely to affect SEI space missions. Risks of chronic health problems were within acceptable public health limits. Our analysis indicates that current Space Station Freedom maximum contamination levels may be unnecessarily strict. We propose alternative environmental contaminant values consistent with both acceptable short and long-term crew health safety.

Macler, Bruce A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (Phase III) Underground Source of Drinking Water Monitoring at the Farnsworth Unit

The Ogallala aquifer is identified as the only underground source of drinking water (USDW) aquifer in the vicinity of the FWU. Throughout the span of the SWP project at the FWU, groundwater samples from the Ogallala Aquifer were collected and analyzed on a regular basis to obtain information that reflects the water quality baseline and any potential leakage, and to facilitate effective simulations and risk assessment. To date, hundreds of samples have been collected and tested. The water analysis results suggest that the Ogallala groundwater quality maintains stable and potable, and no leakage is indicated by these data.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2004

Drinking Water Database

This summer I had the opportunity to work in the Environmental Management Office (EMO) under the Chemical Sampling and Analysis Team or CS&AT. This team s mission is to support Glenn Research Center (GRC) and EM0 by providing chemical sampling and analysis services and expert consulting. Services include sampling and chemical analysis of water, soil, fbels, oils, paint, insulation materials, etc. One of this team s major projects is the Drinking Water Project. This is a project that is done on Glenn s water coolers and ten percent of its sink every two years. For the past two summers an intern had been putting together a database for this team to record the test they had perform. She had successfully created a database but hadn't worked out all the quirks. So this summer William Wilder (an intern from Cleveland State University) and I worked together to perfect her database. We began be finding out exactly what every member of the team thought about the database and what they would change if any. After collecting this data we both had to take some courses in Microsoft Access in order to fix the problems. Next we began looking at what exactly how the database worked from the outside inward. Then we began trying to change the database but we quickly found out that this would be virtually impossible.

Murray, ShaTerea R.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Protective Action Guides Implementation Recommendations

This report documents the analysis conducted by Sandia National Laboratories on the effect of various alterations to published methodologies to calculate Derived Response Levels for Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Protective Action Guides. Specifically, this study sought to assess and provide recommendations on calculation of the Derived Response Level accounting for decay during the consumption period, assess the impact of decay on laboratory Minimal Detectable Concentration in water samples as compared to the Derived Response Level, make a recommendation on the calculation of Derived Response Level consistent with existing Public Protection Methods, and make a recommendation on the use of six age groups versus eight age groups based on available dose coefficients for calculation of the Derived Response Level. The authors analyzed these various factors using nominal radionuclide mixes from four scenarios and compared calculation of the Derived Response Level accounting for decay and no decay and then compared those results to the laboratory Minimal Detectable Concentrations. The authors concluded that decay should be included in the calculation of the Derived Response Level, existing Public Protection Methods should be employed to calculate the Derived Response Level, six age groups should be used versus eight, and the use of both decay and Public Protection Methods result in little to no concern for water samples meeting the Minimum Detectable Concentration requirements. The results of this study may be used in further developing and implementing a method for the Environmental Protection Agency Water Derived Response Level calculation in the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center Assessment Manual.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗