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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 OSTI2024

Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS)

To achieve the ambitious net-zero emission goal by 2050, it is vital to explore practical approaches for removing carbon dioxide from the air. One promising method is Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS). BiCRS combines the natural ability of plants to convert carbon dioxide into biomass with human engineering to store the biomass, or derived products (char), belowground where it won't decompose. By securely storing these materials underground, we can trap the carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants during their growth, thus aiding in carbon removal from the atmosphere. BiCRS not only addresses carbon emissions but also has co-benefits such as wildfire risk reduction by utilizing forest residues. It is essential to establish best practices to ensure accurate measurements of net carbon dioxide removed by BiCRS for policymakers, businesses and communities. Presently, there is a lack of consistent methods for calculating these removals, considering variables like plant type, storage conditions, and conditions for converting the biomass to other products for storage like char. This project develops guidelines for monitoring and reporting BiCRS activities, offering a dependable framework for measuring carbon dioxide removal, enabling adoption of transparent BiCRS approaches for making significant contributions to reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

biomass carbon removal and storage↗
DOE OSTI2020

Anaerobic Storage and Conversion of Microalgal Biomass to Manage Seasonal Variation in Cultivation

Seasonal variation in microalgal biomass production is a well-known challenge when optimizing economics for algal fuel conversion, especially given the fluctuation in biomass production between winter and summer. Wet storage offers significant potential for cost and energy savings compared to dewatering and dry storage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of preserving harvested Scenedesmus acutus biomass through wet anaerobic storage for use in biochemical conversion. Anaerobic storage effectively preserved biomass with minimal degradation of carbohydrates and preservation of lipids and proteins. Screening experiments identified optimal pretreatment conditions for stored biomass. Scale-up of pretreatment enabled fermentation of the hydrolysate to butyric acid and indicated no observable difference in conversion between unstored and stored biomass. Lipid extraction improved by a relative 12% for stored biomass. These results suggest that wet anaerobic storage can effectively manage seasonal variation in biomass production and is compatible with biochemical approaches for biofuel production.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Corrosion Susceptibility of Cr–Mo Steels and Ferritic Stainless Steels in Biomass-Derived Pyrolysis Oil Constituents

In this work, to better understand and evaluate the corrosion performance of candidate structural steels and ferritic stainless steels for production, transport, and storage of biomass pyrolysis oils, corrosion studies were conducted in selected organic constituents of bio-oils, including catechol, formic acid, and their mixtures as well as lactobionic acid, using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. R 2 , the resistance against corrosion reaction, was obtained by fitting measured impedance spectra into an equivalent circuit. The values of R 2 were then used to assess corrosion resistance of the steels in each organic constituent and mixture. Type 410 and 430 stainless steels were resistant to corrosion in all tested organic constituents, while 2.25Cr-1Mo steel was not. 9Cr-1Mo steel was corrosion resistant in catechol but not in the other mixtures that contained organic acids. On the basis of the results of this work, it is suggested that the corrosion resistance against organic acids is attributed to formation of a Cr-rich passive film that requires stainless steels with critical Cr levels in excess of approximately 11 wt %. In catechol-only solution, lower levels of Cr intermediate between that of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel and 9Cr-1Mo steel appeared sufficient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrocatalysts for Using Renewably-Sourced, Organic Electrolytes for Redox Flow Batteries

Biomass could be a source of the redox shuttles that have shown promise for operation as high potential, organic electrolytes for redox flow batteries. There is a sufficient quantity of biomass to satisfy the growing demand to buffer the episodic nature of renewably produced electricity. However, despite a century of effort, it is still not evident how to use existing information from organic electrochemistry to design the electrocatalysts or supporting electrolytes that will confer the required activity, selectivity and longevity. In this research, the use of a fiducial reaction to normalize reaction rates is shown to fail.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biomass for Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) Counterfactual Decision Tree

Counterfactual is the term used to describe a "business-as-usual" scenario which used as a baseline to compare against a new project, allowing the calculation of net impacts for a life cycle analysis (LCA). The choice of counterfactual is critical for determining the results from LCA and must be carefully justified to ensure a fair and accurate comparison. Using forest residues as an example, this decision tree illustrates decision points to be considered for sustainable biomass sourcing and provides a framework for estimating the carbon emissions or storage under the "business-as-usual” scenarios for biomass otherwise destined for use in Biomass for Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) projects.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Land-based resources for engineered carbon dioxide removal in the United States exceed the expected needs

Gigatonne-scale atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR), alongside deep emission cuts, is critical to stabilizing the climate. However, some of the most scalable CDR technologies are also the most land intensive. Here, we examine whether adequate land resources exist in the contiguous United States to meet CDR targets when prioritizing grid emissions reduction, food production, and the protection of sensitive ecosystems. We focus on biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) and direct air capture and storage (DACS) and show that suitable lands exceed the expected needs: 37.6 million hectares of land are available for BiCRS, resulting in 0.26 GtCO 2 of CDR/year, and 34 million hectares are suitable for wind- and solar-powered DACS, resulting in 4.8 GtCO 2 of CDR/year if facilities are co-located with geologic CO 2 storage. We identify biomass and energy supply hotspots to meet CDR targets while ensuring land protection and minimizing land competition.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data for "Land-based Resources for Engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal in the United States Exceed the Expected Needs"

Gigatonne-scale atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR), alongside deep emission cuts, is critical to stabilizing the climate. However, some of the most scalable CDR technologies are also the most land intensive. Here, we examine whether adequate land resources exist in the contiguous United States to meet CDR targets when prioritizing grid emissions reduction, food production, and the protection of sensitive ecosystems. We focus on biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) and direct air capture and storage (DACS) and show that suitable lands exceed the expected needs: 37.6 million hectares of land are available for BiCRS, resulting in 0.26 GtCO2 of CDR/year, and 34 million hectares are suitable for wind- and solar-powered DACS, resulting in 4.8 GtCO2 of CDR/year if facilities are co-located with geologic CO2 storage. We identify biomass and energy supply hotspots to meet CDR targets while ensuring land protection and minimizing land competition.

carbon↗
DOE OSTI2021

Feedstock Harvesting and Storage: Post-Harvest Management for Quality Preservation

Research on harvesting, collection, and storage has matured, and our understanding of feedstock supply challenges has led us to the point of our current goals. The goals of this project include using storage time to collect impactful data of critical feedstock properties in storage and to characterize the feedstock before delivery. This data will inform delivery scheduling of biomass and relevant compositional information to minimize variations in the material quality, which are critical to the preprocessing and conversion performance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Corrosion Compatibility of Stainless Steels and Nickel in Pyrolysis Biomass-Derived Oil at Elevated Storage Temperatures

Corrosion compatibility of stainless steels and nickel (Ni200) was assessed in fast pyrolysis bio-oil produced from pyrolysis of high ash and high moisture forest residue biomass. Sample mass change, ICP-MS and post-exposure electron microscopy characterization was used to investigate the extent of corrosion. Among the tested samples, type 430F and type 316 stainless steels (SS430F and SS316) and Ni200 (~98.5% Ni) showed minimal mass changes (less than 2 mg∙cm−2) after the bio-oil exposures at 50 and 80 °C for up to 168 h. SS304 was also considered to be compatible in the bio-oil due to its relatively low mass change (1.6 mg∙cm−2 or lower). SS410 samples showed greater mass loss values even after exposures at a relatively low temperature of 35 °C. Fe/Cr values from ICP-MS data implied that Cr enrichment in stainless steels would result in a protective oxide layer associated with corrosion resistance against the bio-oil. Post exposure characterization showed continuous and uniform Cr distribution in the surface oxide layer of SS430F, which showed a minimal mass change, but no oxide layer on a SS430 sample, which exhibited a significant mass loss.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

<i>Finite Element Modeling of Biomass Hopper Flow</i>

The hopper is one of the widely used biomass handling devices that channels the bulk biomass from storage to the subsequent handling systems. Although Jenike's approach has been successfully used for hoppers handling grains and other agricultural produces for decades, designing a hopper, ensuring reliable biomass handling is found to be challenging. This study aims to address this engineering problem with alternative constitutive material models concerning the flow behavior of bulk solids. Finite element modeling is an approach that allows for implementing different material models. Underlying constitutive theories of different material models assist in investigating the mechanical behavior of a particulate system, including the flow characteristics of ground biomass. This study demonstrates hopper flow models of two types of biomass, i.e., ground corn stover and Douglas fir, with the Mohr-Coulomb model, which is based on Jenike's approach, modified Cam-Clay model, and Drucker-Prager/Cap model. The modeling results are compared with hopper flow experiments to highlights the advantages and shortfalls of each constitutive biomass flow model.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Finite element modeling of biomass hopper flow

Hoppers are widely used biomass handling devices that channel bulk biomass from storage to subsequent handling equipment. Jenike’s longstanding approach, based on the Mohr-Coulomb model, has been successfully used to design hoppers handling cohesionless granular materials such as grains and other agricultural produces. However, designing a hopper to ensure reliable biomass flow is found to be challenging due to cohesion, irregular particle shape, and bulk material elastoplasticity. This study aims to address the biomass handling engineering challenge with alternative constitutive material models concerning the flow behavior of bulk solids. Finite element modeling is an approach that allows for implementation of different material models, whose underlying constitutive theories assist in investigating the origin and manifestation of bulk mechanical behavior of granular materials. This study focuses on the incipient gravity hopper flow of two types of biomass feedstocks, i.e., ground corn stover and Douglas fir wood. Three widely used constitutive material models, i.e., Mohr-Coulomb model, modified Cam-Clay model, and Drucker-Prager/Cap model, are implemented. Using the flow pattern represented by the volume of biomass exhibiting more than 7% of axial strain (Kamath and Puri, 1999), the finite element model predicts that the bulk corn stover particulate material forms an arch, which represents a hampered transition from the static state to the dynamic flow-state out of the hopper, whereas bulk Douglas fir wood particulate material develops a reliable mass flow pattern. A laboratory scale hopper was used to experimentally determine the biomass flow conditions, which were subsequently compared with the predicted onset of flow by a finite element model (FEM). The developed FEM was found to correctly predict the initiation of mass flow for the milled Douglas fir wood, whereas corn stover was predicted to establish a strong core flow suggesting an unreliable handling characteristic. This observation aligns with the reported poor handling of milled corn stover.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Summary of Biomass Scale Cubical Triaxial Tester Results

Hoppers are widely used biomass handling devices that channel bulk biomass from storage to subsequent handling equipment. Jenike’s longstanding approach, based on the Mohr-Coulomb model, has been successfully used to design hoppers handling cohesionless granular materials such as grains and other agricultural produces. However, designing a hopper to ensure reliable non-grain biomass flow is found to be challenging due to cohesion, irregular particle shape, and bulk material elastoplasticity. Forest Concepts developed a Cubical Triaxial Tester (CTT) to collect data necessary to determine constitutive model coefficients appropriate for particulate biomass materials. Over the course of three years, including hundreds of data sets with a focus on low-pressure ranges relevant to gravity hopper flow of biomass feedstocks, the Forest Concepts’ CTT has proven to be a reliable method to generate data that is otherwise difficult to obtain. Coefficients for three widely used constitutive material models, i.e., Mohr-Coulomb model, modified Cam-Clay model, and Drucker-Prager/Cap model, are reported. This work was supported in part by the US Department of Energy under contract DE-EE0008254.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Carbon Capture and Storage for Small-to-Medium Biorefineries: Promising Carbon Removal Solution with Economic Challenges

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) integrated with biomass-based fuel production can provide cost-effective biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) and produce high-value bioproducts, such as sustainable aviation fuels. To accelerate BiCRS deployment, it is crucial to quantify the costs of CCS integration, particularly for small- and medium-scale biorefineries that are representative of early-stage deployment. Existing studies tend to focus on plant sizes that are orders-of-magnitude larger than early-stage installations, possibly underestimating CCS costs for small-to-medium biorefineries. We show that the capture, transport, and storage costs to maximize CO 2 removal from a 526 dry tonne per day (tpd) biomass gasification plant (largest existing size) could be 13–47% higher than costs for a typical modeled plant size (2000 dry tpd). The higher cost estimates are driven by less favorable economies of scale and realistic assumptions about the availability of affordable CO 2 transport infrastructure with both drivers broadly applicable to other BiCRS technologies. Compliance and voluntary carbon markets could incentivize biorefinery CCS, but both carry a high degree of uncertainty. In conclusion, these findings highlight that sufficient and reliable financial mechanisms would be essential to unlocking the full CO 2 removal potential of biorefineries and facilitating BiCRS scale-up.

Biological transport↗
DOE OSTI2026

Golden Tide Opportunities

There is no abstract for this document. I have been invited to present my project progress to the Schmidt Sciences VIFF SaBRe team at their annual project meeting. This is work funded by DOE AFFO. The project title is Algal Feedstock Logistics

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Co-Harvest and Anaerobic Co-Storage of Corn Grain and Stover as Biomass Feedstocks

This research investigated the utility of co-harvesting and anaerobic co-storage of corn grain and stover to positively influence their physical and chemical characteristics as a biomass feedstock. Corn grain and stover were harvested in 2019 and 2020 with a self-propelled forage harvester. Stover yield, moisture content, and composition were altered by the harvest date, stubble height, and header configuration. Harvest date had the utility of varying the stover moisture content (p < 0.001) from 42.3% to 53.5% (w.b.) and 43.1% to 53.9% (w.b.) for the 2019 and 2020 harvest years, respectively. Stubble height was also utilized to vary stover moisture content. A negative linear relationship was established between stubble height and stover moisture content for the early (R2 = 0.76) and late harvest (R2 = 0.91) dates for both years. Stover yield also showed a negative linear relationship (R2 = 0.76) with stubble height over both years. Regardless of the stubble height, the row-crop header collected more stover (p < 0.001) than the ear-snapper header. In 2020, harvested stover ranged from 5.0 to 10.5 Mg ha-1, with ha-1 representing 41% to 85% of the total available stover. In both years, stover ash content was less than 64 g kg-1. Material stored in pilot-scale silos (19 L) was well conserved during anaerobic storage, with average DM losses of 4.8% and 3.4% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Grain moisture content averaged 23.6% (w.b.) at harvest, and 31.0% (w.b.) after storage as moisture migrated from the moist stover to the drier grain. Harvesting whole-plant corn with a forage harvester had the unwanted effect of reducing the particle size of the grain fraction, which would complicate downstream utilization. However, reducing the harvester cutterhead speed increased the fraction of intact kernels from 47% to 85% by mass. The studied system was a viable alternative to conventional corn grain and stover systems for producing feedstocks for biochemical conversion.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗