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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Results of a Soil Flushing Treatability Test for Hanford Site Hexavalent Chromium Removal - 20446

U.S. Department of Energy contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company has made significant progress remediating hexavalent chromium in groundwater near the Columbia River through the operation of pump and treat facilities and source removal activities. To mitigate risks associated with hexavalent chromium contamination, which was identified in a CERCLA interim action record of decision as the primary groundwater contaminant of concern for the 100-KR-4 Operable Unit from discharging to the Columbia River, three ion-exchange pump and treat systems were installed between 1997 and 2009. Between 2010 and 2016, operation of the K West pump and treat system, located near the former 105K West plutonium production reactor, reduced concentrations below the groundwater remediation target for hexavalent chromium. In 2016, a rebound study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the pump and treat remedy and assess the potential for any residual hexavalent chromium sources continuing to contribute to groundwater contamination. As a result of the rebound study, a source of continued groundwater contamination was identified. To address this condition, a soil flushing treatability test was written and approved by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The test included saturating about a 1-acre area of soil with treated water with the goal of forcing the residual hexavalent chromium to groundwater where existing extraction wells could remove it for treatment, accelerating the cleanup process. In spring and summer 2019, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company installed and began operating a shallow underground leach system to support the treatability test. Preliminary sampling data show the test was effective in removing the residual contamination. Following further evaluation and analysis from the initial test, the process will be considered for implementation elsewhere on the Hanford Site, particularly at locations where there is a known or suspected continuing contamination source in the soil column. The paper will cover the goals of the study, as well as more details about the following: - Overview of pump and treat exit strategy (using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance); - The design and installation of the soil flushing technology in the 100-K Area; - The testing process and results of sampling data; - Post-study evaluation and potential for implementation in other locations at the Hanford Site. Innovative solutions for cleanup, such as the soil flushing technology, have resulted in substantial progress in the removal of groundwater contaminants at the Hanford Site, potentially shortening the time frame required to meet cleanup goals and resulting in significant cost savings. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Leveraging observed soil heterotrophic respiration fluxes as a novel constraint on global-scale models

Microbially-explicit models may improve understanding and projections of carbon dynamics in response to future climate change, but their fidelity in simulating global-scale soil heterotrophic respiration (RH), a stringent test for soil biogeochemical models, has never been evaluated. We used statistical global RH products, as well as 7,821 daily site-scale RH measurements, to evaluate the spatio-temporal performance of one first-order decay model (CASA-CNP) and two microbially-explicit biogeochemical models (CORPSE and MIMICS) that were forced by two different climate datasets. CORPSE and MIMICS did not provide any measurable performance improvement; instead, the models were highly sensitive to the meteorological input data used to drive them. Spatial RH variability was generally well simulated except in the northern middle latitudes (~50°N) and arid regions; models captured the seasonal variability of RH well, but showed more divergence in tropic and arctic regions. Our results demonstrate that the next generation of biogeochemical models shows promise, but also needs to be improved for realistic spatio-temporal variability of RH. Finally, we emphasize the importance of net primary production, soil moisture, and soil temperature inputs, and that jointly evaluating soil models for their spatial (global scale) and temporal (site scale) performance provides crucial benchmarks for improving biogeochemical models.

Jian, Jinshi↗
DOE OSTI2021

Soil microbiome predictability increases with spatial and taxonomic scale

Soil microorganisms shape ecosystem function, yet it remains an open question whether we can predict the composition of the soil microbiome in places before observing it. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the predictability of microbial life exhibits taxonomic- and spatial-scale dependence, as it does for macrobiological communities. Here, we leverage multiple large-scale soil microbiome surveys to develop predictive models of bacterial and fungal community composition in soil, then test these models against independent soil microbial community surveys from across the continental United States. We find remark- able scale dependence in community predictability. The predictability of bacterial and fungal communities increases with the spatial scale of observation, and fungal predictability increases with taxonomic scale. These patterns suggest that there is an increasing importance of deterministic versus stochastic processes with scale, consistent with findings in plant and animal communities, suggesting a general scaling relationship across biology. Biogeochemical functional groups and high-level taxonomic groups of microorganisms were equally predictable, indicating that traits and taxonomy are both powerful lenses for understanding soil communities. Here, by focusing on out-of-sample prediction, these findings suggest an emerging generality in our understanding of the soil microbiome, and that this understanding is fundamentally scale dependent

Biogeography↗
DOE OSTI2024

Putting the soil health principles to the test in Iowa

One of the most popular soil conservation campaigns is based on the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's Soil Health Principles (NRCS-SHPs). The NRCS-SHP program identifies four principles—maximize presence of living roots, minimize disturbance, maximize soil cover, and maximize biodiversity—with the underlying assumption that the more principles one follows, the greater improvements in soil health. Despite the popularity of the NRCS-SHPs, this underlying assumption has not been rigorously tested. To do so, we used nine long-term experiments all located in central Iowa, but with varying degree of NRCS-SHP adoption, to determine if greater adoption increases three slow-changing (maximum water holding capacity, bulk density [BD], and soil organic carbon) and three dynamic (microbial biomass carbon [MBC], potentially mineralizable carbon [PMC], and permanganate oxidizable carbon [POXC]) soil health indicators. We regressed these indicators with a soil health principle score that can scale soil management based on adoption of the NRCS-SHPs. Of the slow-changing soil properties, increased adoption of NRCS-SHPs only decreased soil BD (R2 = 0.22, p = 0.024). On the other hand, increased adoption of NRCS-SHPs strongly predicted increases in both MBC and PMC and across two sampling dates (R2 > 0.23, p < 0.015); POXC, however, did not increase with greater adoption. The consistent increases in MBC and PMC with greater adoption of NRCS-SHPs supports their usefulness as sensitive indicators of positive soil health change. Our study provides scientific evidence to support the NRCS-SHPs concept, improving its usefulness as an extension campaign, and stands as a step toward evidence-based soil conservation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Experimental Test Site, Site 300: Soil Study Institutional Review Board #1081 Soil Sampling and Analysis Plan

This Soil Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) was prepared by the Environmental Functional Area/Technical Services Department (TSD) of the Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) Directorate for the Project Management Office (PMO) to collect soil quality data at an area located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Experimental Test Site, Site 300 (Site 300) (project) (Figures 1 and 2). The purpose of the project is to determine the chemical and radiological quality of soil in the project area to support feasibility and design of future improvements. This SAP identifies chemicals of concern and describes the procedures for collection and analysis of environmental samples, and evaluation of analytical data (chemical and radiological) to determine the reuse potential of shallow soil at the project area. This SAP follows the criteria established in LLNL’s Soils Screening and Management Plan (SSMP) (LLNL 2022), which is consistent with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance for developing Data Quality Objectives for environmental data (EPA 2006) and the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) guidance (U.S. NRC, U.S. EPA, U.S. DOE, U.S. DOD 2000). The scope of this SAP is based on preliminary design information provided by PMO.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Duration of O 2 Exposure Determines Dominance of Fe II vs CH 4 Production in Tropical Forest Soils

Temporal fluctuations in redox conditions influence the availability of Fe III and greenhouse gas emissions in humid upland soils. However, the impact of fluctuation duration on biogeochemical processes remains unclear. We hypothesized that rates of Fe III reduction and CH 4 production are sensitive to the duration of soil oxygenation. To test this, surface soil from the Luquillo Forest, Puerto Rico, was subjected to fluctuating redox conditions with an anoxic interval of 6 days followed by oxic intervals of either 8, 24, or 72 h. Shorter oxic intervals enhanced Fe reduction, while longer oxic intervals enhanced CH 4 emissions. As O 2 exposure decreased from 72 to 8 h, Fe reduction rates increased from 0.12 ± 0.02 to 0.26 ± 0.05 mmol kg –1 h –1 , whereas cumulative CH 4 decreased from 44.0 ± 4.7 to 12.7 ± 4.6 μmol kg –1 . 13 C-amino acid spikes were preferentially incorporated into the DNA of iron reducers (Anaeromyxobacter sp.) in the shorter oxic treatment (8 h vs 24 h), suggesting that Fe reducers are less inhibited by shorter periods of oxidation. Conversely, longer oxygen pulses appear to suppress Fe reducers more than methanogens, leading to increased CH 4 emissions. These findings highlight the role of the redox oscillation length in modulating biogeochemical processes and greenhouse gas emissions in soils.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Community Geothermal: Soil Conductivity, Borehole Design, Energy Models, and Load Data for a Residential System Development - Hinesburg, VT

This dataset contains materials from the Coalition for Community-Supported Affordable Geothermal Energy Systems (C2SAGES) project, which evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of a community geothermal system for a residential development in Hinesburg, VT. The dataset includes detailed soil conductivity test reports, energy models, borehole design reports, hourly energy loads for heating, cooling, and hot water, and design layouts. EnergyPlus was used to model building energy loads, and Modelica software was applied for geothermal loop sizing based on these loads and soil conductivity results. Python scripts for network design further refined the models. Key files include PDF reports on borehole design (with projections for 1-year, 15-year, and 30-year systems), soil conductivity test results, EnergyPlus modeling outputs, and 2D/3D design drawings in PDF, DWG, and DXF formats. Python notebooks for network design and OnePipe model files are also provided, with Modelica required for viewing certain files. Outputs and modeling data are in various formats including CSV, JPG, HTML, and IDF, with units and data clearly labeled to support understanding of system design and performance for the proposed geothermal solution.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Climate, soil mineralogy and mycorrhizal fungi influence soil organic matter fractions in eastern US temperate forests

Identifying the primary controls of particulate (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) content in soils is critical for determining future stocks of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) across the globe. However, drivers of these soil organic matter fractions are likely to vary among ecosystems in response to climate, soil type and the composition of local biological communities. We tested how soil factors, climate and plant–fungal associations influenced the distribution and concentrations of C and N in MAOM and POM in seven temperate forests in the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) across the eastern United States. Samples of upper mineral horizon soil within each forest were collected in plots representing a gradient of dominant tree–mycorrhizal association, allowing us to test how plant and microbial communities influenced POM and MAOM across sites differing in climate and soil conditions. We found that concentrations of C and N in soil organic matter were primarily driven by soil mineralogy, but the relative abundance of MAOM versus POM C was strongly linked to plot-level mycorrhizal dominance. Furthermore, the effect of dominant tree mycorrhizal type on the distribution of N among POM and MAOM fractions was sensitive to local climate: in cooler sites, an increasing proportion of ectomycorrhizal-associated trees was associated with lower proportions of N in MAOM, but in warmer sites, we found the reverse. As an indicator of soil carbon age, we measured radiocarbon in the MAOM fraction but found that within and across sites, Δ 14 C was unrelated to mycorrhizal dominance, climate, or soil factors, suggesting that additional site-specific factors may be primary determinants of long-term SOM persistence. Our results indicate that while soil mineralogy primarily controls SOM C and N concentrations, the distribution of SOM among density fractions depends on the composition of vegetation and microbial communities, with these effects varying across sites with distinct climates. Here we also suggest that within biomes, the age of mineral-associated soil carbon is not clearly linked to the factors that control concentrations of MAOM C and N.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimentally simulated sea level rise destabilizes carbon-mineral associations in temperate tidal marsh soil

How sea level rise (SLR) alters carbon (C) dynamics in tidal salt marsh soils is unresolved. Changes in hydrodynamics could influence organo-mineral associations, influencing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes. As SLR increases the duration of inundation, we hypothesize that lateral DOC export will increase due to reductive dissolution of C-bearing iron (Fe) oxides, destabilizing soil C stocks and influencing greenhouse gas emissions. To test this, soil cores (0–8 cm depth) were collected from the high marsh of a temperate salt marsh that currently experiences changes in water level and soil redox oscillation due to spring-neap tides. Mesocosms experimentally simulated SLR by continuously inundating high marsh soils and were compared to mesocosms with Control conditions, where the water level oscillated on a spring-neap cycle. Porewater DOC, lateral DOC, and porewater reduced Fe (Fe 2+ ) concentrations were significantly higher in SLR treatments (1.7 ± 0.5 mM, 0.63 ± 0.14 mM, and 0.15 ± 0.11 mM, respectively) than Control treatments (1.2 ± 0.35 mM, 0.56 ± 0.15 mM, and 0.08 ± 01 mM, respectively Solid phase analysis with Fe extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy further revealed that SLR led to > 3 times less Fe oxide-C coprecipitates than Control conditions In addition, the overall global warming potential (GWP) decreased under SLR due to suppressed CO 2 emissions. Our data suggest that SLR may increase lateral C export of current C stocks by dissolving C-bearing Fe oxides but decrease the overall GWP from emissions of soil trace gases. Finally, these findings have implications for understanding the fate of SOC dynamics under future SLR scenarios.

dissolved organic carbon↗
DOE OSTI2024

Artificial Replication of Field Soiling Losses on PV Modules

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate an improved replication of field soiling losses using an indoor artificial soiling chamber and tests on anti-soiling coated PV modules and coupons. The primary focus is to use site-specific soil collected from module surface and replicate the natural soiling processes including dust concentration in the air, slow and gradual dust accumulation and sedimentation on the module surface during the dominant soiling season of the site of interest. The experiments were conducted on two sample sets having different anti-soiling properties. The first set contains commercial modules with two different surface properties retrieved after three years of exposure from a single PV plant in a mid-Atlantic location; the other set contain glass coupons with three different coating materials that were installed and exposed over 4 months, at Lemoore, California. Major field-representative factors considered here for the close replication in the chamber include: the use of dust collected from modules surfaces at the outdoor sites to give the same dust chemistry; dust particle size distribution and concentration; the charge size of dust (< 0.15 g per injection); field humidity, and module temperature. The effectiveness of antisoiling coatings (or surface properties) for both sample sets were ranked in the artificial testing and were found to be closely matching with the field rank orders of the respective sites and sample sets. This paper provides the rank ordering results to objectively demonstrate the replication of field soiling losses in the artificial soiling chamber.

artificial soiling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydraulic constraints to stomatal conductance in flooded trees

Stomatal closure is a pervasive response among trees exposed to flooded soil. We tested whether this response is caused by reduced hydraulic conductance in the soil-to-leaf hydraulic continuum (k total ), and particularly by reduced root hydraulic conductance (k root ), which has been widely hypothesized. We tracked stomatal conductance at the leaf level (g s ) and canopy scale (G s ) along with physiological conditions in two temperate tree species, Magnolia grandiflora and Quercus virginiana, that were subjected to flood and control conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Flooding reduced g s , G s , k root and k total . Path analysis showed strong support for direct effects of k total on g s and for flood duration on k total , but not k root on k total . A process-based model that accounted for the k total reduction predicted the timeseries of G s in flood and control treatment trees reasonably well (predicted versus observed G s R 2 = 0.80 and 0.51 for M. grandiflora and Q. virginiana, respectively). However, accounting only for k root reduction in flooded trees was insufficient for predicting observed G s reduction. Together, these results suggest that hydraulic constraints were not limited to roots and highlight the need to account for flooding effects on k total when projecting forest ecosystem function using process-based models.

Plant stress↗
DOE OSTI2020

Influences of Hillslope Biogeochemistry on Anaerobic Soil Organic Matter Decomposition in a Tundra Watershed

In this work, we investigated rates and controls on greenhouse gas (CO 2 and CH 4 ) production in two contrasting water-saturated tundra soils within a permafrost-affected watershed near Nome, Alaska, United States. Three years of field sample analysis have shown that soil from a fen-like area in the toeslope of the watershed had higher pH and higher porewater ion concentrations than soil collected from a bog-like peat plateau at the top of the hillslope. The influence of these contrasting geochemical and topographic environments on CO 2 and CH 4 production was tested in soil microcosms by incubating both the organic- and mineral-layer soils anaerobically for 55 days. Additionally, nitrogen (as NH 4 Cl) was added to half of the microcosms to test potential effects of N limitation on microbial greenhouse gas production. We found that the organic toeslope soils produced more CO 2 and CH 4 , fueled by higher pH and higher concentrations of water-extractable organic C (WEOC). Our results also indicate N limitation on CO 2 production in the peat plateau soils but not the toeslope soils. Together these results suggest that the weathering and leaching of ions and nutrients from tundra hillslopes can increase the rate of anaerobic soil organic matter decomposition in downslope soils by (1) increasing the pH of soil porewater; (2) providing bioavailable WEOC and fermentation products such as acetate; and (3) relieving microbial N limitation through nutrient runoff. We conclude that the soil geochemistry as mediated by landscape position is an important factor influencing the rate and magnitude of greenhouse gas production in tundra soils.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Potassium jarosite seeding of soils decreases lead and arsenic bioaccessibility: A path toward concomitant remediation

Soils are common sources of metal(loid) contaminant exposure globally. Lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) are of paramount concern due to detrimental neurological and carcinogenic health effects, respectively. Pb and/or As contaminated soils require remediation, typically leading to excavation, a costly and environmentally damaging practice of removing soil to a central location (e.g., hazardous landfill) that may not be a viable option in low-income countries. Chemical remediation techniques may allow for in situ conversion of soil contaminants to phases that are not easily mobilized upon ingestion; however, effective chemical remediation options are limited. Here, we have successfully tested a soil remediation technology using potted soils that relies on converting soil Pb and As into jarosite-group minerals, such as plumbojarosite (PLJ) and beudantite, possessing exceptionally low bioaccessibility [i.e., solubility at gastric pH conditions (pH 1.5 to 3)]. Across all experiments conducted, all new treatment methods successfully promoted PLJ and/or beudantite conversion, resulting in a proportional decrease in Pb and As bioaccessibility. Increasing temperature resulted in increased conversion to jarosite-group minerals, but addition of potassium (K) jarosite was most critical to Pb and As bioaccessibility decreases. Our methods of K-jarosite treatment yielded <10% Pb and As bioaccessibility compared to unamended soil values of approximately 70% and 60%, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed treatment is a rare dual remediation option that effectively treats soil Pb and As such that potential exposure is considerably reduced. Research presented here lays the foundation for ongoing field application.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

cabbi-bio/ESM-R-script

This script is intended to provide a starting point for users to implement the equivalent soil mass (ESM) approach for calculating soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and SOC mass percentages (commonly called “SOC concentration”). The user should read this readme file and understand how the script works before using it. The script contains some basic error checking algorithms, but it cannot catch all data entry mistakes. It is possible to misuse the script and produce invalid results. The script was designed to work on individual soil cores that have been divided into three or more contiguous segments, as the cubic spline function contains four coefficients. The script has not been tested on soil cores containing fewer than three contiguous segments. If only one segment is present, interpolation will necessarily be linear rather than cubic, which is expected to result in higher predictive error (Wendt & Hauser, 2013). Considering the wide range of potential applications, the script should not be expected to function correctly in all situations. The user is encouraged to modify or rewrite the script to meet their specific needs.

von Haden, Adam↗
DOE OSTI2020

3-D Radiological Data Acquisition, Visualization and Modeling - 20211

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was tasked to investigate and remediate low activity radiological contamination from research and production of the nation's first nuclear weapons at the former DuPont Chambers Works Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) site (DuPont). The DuPont site had several buildings used for the Manhattan project that were demolished in the 1940's and 1950's apparently using heavy earthmoving equipment. Some of the contaminated rubble from the demolition appears to have been spread out by this equipment resulting in somewhat random scattering of radiologically contaminated soil and debris along with aqueous spills. Traditional investigative methods such as soil borings, test pits and 2-dimensional gamma walkovers were only partially successful in delineating the radiological contamination at the site. It was feared that even 'chasing' the contamination during remediation would miss contamination if the demolition resulted in discontinuous trails of radiologically contaminated soils. In evaluating the data generated over the interceding decades, the USACE determined that a better method to collect and process the remedial action radiological data was needed to enable the project team to optimize predictive planning and meet documentation expectations. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the effort and progress to combine and organize radiological survey methods into a highly flexible sampling, modeling, and decision analysis approach that emphasizes the quality of decision-making during remediation. This innovative system blends multiple tools to develop a methodology that can extend MARRSIM [1] into the subsurface and provide tools that can be applied to other sites. (authors)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗